Press Release, Stream Data Centers

BASOM – In response to today’s rally in Batavia led by those in opposition to the Stream Data Center project, we would like to offer you the following statement:

We have consistently prioritized transparency and community engagement, proactively hosting multiple informational sessions to ensure that residents and concerned stakeholders have direct access to our team and the facts of this project. Our goal is to demonstrate how this project represents our approach in the industry, blending innovative technology with a minimal environmental footprint and significant economic benefits.

We recognize that many concerns are based on legacy technologies or alternative approaches to this type of facility. We strongly believe this project represents a best-use, compatible development located within Genesee County’s designated area for such projects. For instance, we understand that water usage is a significant concern for the community. By utilizing a closed-loop cooling system, this new facility will consume less water than a standard warehouse or a large grocery store, requiring only a fraction of the capacity used by traditional manufacturing or agricultural processing companies.

Stream is proud of this project’s modern design, which ensures the campus will remain a quiet, clean, and high-value neighbor. We invite you to review the accompanying fact sheet to see firsthand the care and responsible planning invested in this initiative—one that secures substantial economic benefits for the residents and taxpayers of both the Town of Alabama and Genesee County. We look forward to being an active, difference-making member of this community for decades to come.

Bradley Wells

Senior Project Development Manager

Stream Data Centers

Editor’s Note: Stream says the project will have an economic benefit of more than $1.9 billion, including $285 million in direct local payments, $7 million in annual revenue to the Oakfield-Alabama school district, 125 permanent jobs with average salaries topping $100,000, and approximately 1,200 construction jobs at peak. For more on the project, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – Firefighters work to stop a fire and vent smoke from a house at 1544 Oak Orchard Rd. in Carlton. Jerry Bentley, the deputy fire coordinator, is on the aldder breaking a window to let out smoke.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at about 2:45 p.m. The house is located on Route 98 near the intersection with Park Avenue.

There was heavy smoke coming from the house and flames on the back side of the structure when firefighters arrived on scene, said Chris Standish, the Carlton fire chief.

“Firefighters could hear the crackle and popping coming from inside,” he said.

Standish said the fire is under investigation.

Carlton was assisted at the scene by firefighters from Albion, Kendall, Murray, Clarendon and Medina as well as the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

Tonia James lives at the house with four cats and three dogs. Six of those pets perished in the fire. She is thankful her dog Sadie survived.

Sadie gets oxygen from the Mercy Flight medics who responded. Sadie suffered smoke inhalation and rebounded. She was up and walking with James.

Jayden Allport, an EMT with Mercy Flight, checks on Sadie. The dog was carried out of the house by firefighters and Mercy Flight gave her oxygen at the scene.

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke

ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of multiple individuals following a series of investigations conducted in conjunction with the Department of Social Services into alleged public assistance fraud.

As a result of these investigations, several subjects were charged with offenses including Welfare Fraud, Petit Larceny, Grand Larceny, Criminal use of a public benefit card and Offering a False Instrument for Filing.

The following were charged: Hunter Green, David Savage, Kayla Twiss, Suzanne Adams, Felicia Gaddis, Tammie Sanchez, Brenda Dukes, Lisa Mcdaniels, Stephanie DeRosa and Ashley Chambers.

It is alleged that the individuals collectively received $17,236.41 in public assistance benefits to which they were not entitled.

All subjects were issued appearance tickets and are scheduled to appear in the Town of Albion Court at a later date.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work closely with the Department of Social Services to investigate and prosecute fraud-related offenses.

Photo courtesy of Medina Triennial: This is a production still for Two Waters, 2026, by Tania Candiani. It is a new commission for the Medina Triennial.

Press Release, Medina Triennial

MEDINA – The Medina Triennial is pleased to unveil the full list of artists of its inaugural edition, All That Sustains Us, taking place June 6 to Sept. 7 in the Western New York village of Medina, along the Erie Canal.

Co-Artistic Directors Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo have invited 39 artists and collectives from across five continents to create a free, walkable, village-wide exhibition featuring over 100 works, including new site-specific commissions by 18 artists shaped in response to Western New York’s communities and ecosystems—many created in collaboration with local residents.

Following a year of on-the-ground research, Conte and Laansoo developed a curatorial framework rooted in the intersection of art, ecology, architecture, and rural contexts, while prioritizing local production to minimize carbon-intensive shipping.

Bringing artists from across the globe into dialogue with Medina and Western New York, the Triennial unfolds amid the histories, materials, and social worlds of the region. The works on view approach maintenance through linked themes: land relations and extraction, waterways and water stewardship, labor and repair, public life and community building, and the visible and hidden systems that shape everyday life.

Moving across different scales, the exhibition brings together building blocks and ruins, folklore and industry, farming and food security, interspecies kinship and ecological grief, as well as broader questions of conflict. Throughout Medina’s buildings, canalfront, parks, and former industrial sites, visitors encounter works that embody both endurance and fragility.

“All That Sustains Us echoes a question artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles posed in 1969 and never stopped asking: what does it take to keep things going? The Medina Triennial asks what forms of labor, knowledge, and commitment sustain civic life, ecological systems, and the built environment, especially under conditions of strain,” said Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo, co-artistic directors of the Triennial. “The works gathered here emerged from research and dialogue with artists and offer many distinct positions. What connects them is a shared attention to the forces, materials, and ideas that hold communities together, and to the conditions under which those structures begin to break down.”

The Triennial’s sites span the full breadth of the village. Situated in a former sandstone hotel overlooking the canal, the Medina Triennial Hub will serve as a welcome center, a home for education and residency programs, and a site for two major commissions—48 Collections from the Erie Canal by Futurefarmers and Reflection by Asad Raza.

The main exhibition site is 25,000 square feet of the Catherine Street Old Medina High School building, which has been closed to students and the public for more than three decades and recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, where new commissions include A Good Wall by James Beckett, Two Waters by Tania Candiani, INT. HOME(S) by Ash Arder, THE TELL by Matt Kenyon, and Between Blossom and Core by Kärt Ojavee.

Works will also be presented at the Medina Railroad Museum, Orleans County YMCA, Medina Memorial Hospital, Rotary Park, State Street Park, and Sacred Heart Church, as well as installations directly on the Erie Canal.

Anchoring the outdoor program is a new site-specific commission by Lina Lapelytė, Faithfully Recording, a durational performance where singers and construction workers collaboratively build a public sculpture from reclaimed Medina sandstone on the Medina Railroad Museum’s grounds.

Scott Hocking presents a new commission in the empty lot beside the historic Medina Theater on Main Street. Further highlights include Anne Duk Hee Jordan’s water purification sculpture I travelled 66 million years to be with you and then you came, to be shown at State Street Park; Community Toolshed for the Birds by Richard Ighby & Marilou Lemmens, an interspecies collaboration installed at Rotary Park; Jane Jin Kaisen’s Sorrow Waters This Land; and Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge’s multimedia installation All the hours, presented at the Medina Memorial Hospital.

The Triennial also marks the first U.S. presentation of works by Deirdre O’Mahony and Tokyo-based collective SIDE CORE, whose large-scale installation at Sacred Heart Church brings their distinctive engagement with construction infrastructure and public space to an American audience for the first time.

New works were produced under the Medina Triennial Fieldwork Residency, an initiative that gives artists time, space, and resources within Medina—including a cohort of local scientists, architects, farmers, and small business owners from across Western New York—to support research, foster collaboration, and deepen community connections. The program is designed to tailor commissions to the region through immersion in the village and its surroundings.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mary Mattingly is shown in September on a canal barge that she will be turning into a floating garden that should bear fruit this summer as part of the inaugural Medina Triennial. Mattingly will transform the 27-by-80-foot barge into a showcase for plants and nature. She led a similar initiative in New York City, and that repurposed barge drew 350,000 visitors and more than 900 guided tours.

In Fall 2025, Mary Mattingly and James Beckett began their residencies to create new commissions for the Triennial. Mattingly developed Floating Garden, a barge-based living artwork built with local residents and students from the Rochester Institute of Technology led by architect Amanda Reis, while Beckett explored how architecture carries local history, material intelligence, and slow instability, in collaboration with the University of Buffalo.

This Spring, Selva Aparicio and Michael Wang are in residence in Medina—Aparicio at work on Maintenance, a broom carved from anthracite coal, while Wang develops Future Sugarbush, a nascent sugar bush grove planned by the artist, and Sugarbush Energy, a canned maple sap drink that will be available for free throughout the Triennial, and at select businesses across Medina.

The Triennial also creates a space for recontextualization of existing works. Alice Bucknell’s Staring at the Sun, a sci-fi documentary about solar geoengineering and the limits of rendering the atmosphere as something wholly knowable, will be shown in the U.S. for the first time.

Buffalo-based Nigerian artist Victoria-Idongesit Udonian, also presenting at the 2026 Venice Art Biennale, will show a new configuration of her large three-part installation, exploring the links between bodies and transit within global labor economies. AKI INOMATA presents How to Carve a Sculpture—an ongoing series of wood carvings produced by beavers enlisted by the artist’s collaborators at zoos across Japan. The Triennial will also honor Jay Carrier—an essential presence in Western New York’s artistic community, who passed away in 2025, presenting three of his mixed media works, The Children Will Heal Us (2018), American Landscape (2015), and Night Dancer (2019) throughout the Catherine Street main site.

The Medina Triennial was initiated with major support provided by the New York Power Authority and the New York State Canal Corporation, conceived as part of a broader strategy to showcase the Erie Canal as active civic infrastructure.

Further programming and event details forthcoming. For more information and to sign up for the official newsletter, please visit medinatriennial.org.

Medina Triennial 2026 Artists

• Ash Arder (she/they) b. 1988, Flint, MI; lives in Detroit, MI
• Selva Aparicio (she/her) b. 1987, Barcelona, Spain; lives in Alfred, NY, and Chicago, IL
• James Beckett (he/him) b. 1977, Harare, Zimbabwe; lives in New York, NY and Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Taysir Batniji (he/him) b. 1966, Gaza, Palestine; lives in Paris, France
• Alice Bucknell (they/them) b. 1993, London, UK; lives in Los Angeles, CA
• Tania Candiani (she/her) b.1974, Mexico City, Mexico; lives in Mexico City, Mexico
• Jay Carrier (he/him) Onondaga/Tuscarora Nations, Wolf Clan; b. 1963, Six Nations reservation in Ontario, Canada; d. 2025, Niagara Falls, NY
• Harun Farocki (he/him) b. 1944, Nový Jičín, Czechoslovakia (present-day Czechia); d. 2014, Berlin, Germany
• Jeneen Frei Njootli (they/them) b. 1988, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; lives in Old Crow, Yukon, Canada
• FIBRA – est. 2019, Lima, Peru; Lucia Monge, b. 1983; Gianine Tabja, b.1983; Gabriela Flores del Pozo, b. 1979
• Futurefarmers – est. 1994, San Francisco, CA; including Amy Franceschini, b. 1970, Patterson, CA; Michael Swaine, b. 1971, Buffalo, NY; and FS Bàssïbét, b. 1997, Elmina, Ghana
• Terike Haapoja (she/her) b. 1974, Helsinki, Finland; lives in Berlin, Germany
• Greg Halpern (he/him) b. 1977, Buffalo, NY; lives in Rochester, NY
• Carole Harris (she/her) b. 1943, Detroit, MI; lives in Detroit, MI
• Scott Hocking (he/him) b. 1975, Detroit, MI; lives in Detroit, MI
• Gözde İlkin (they/them) b. 1981, Kütahya, Türkiye; lives in İstanbul, Türkiye
• Richard Ibghy (he/him) & Marilou Lemmens (she/her) b. 1964, Montreal, Canada; lives in Durham-Sud, Canada b. 1976, Ascot Corner, Canada; lives in Durham-Sud, Canada
• AKI INOMATA (she/her) b. 1983, Tokyo, Japan; lives in Tokyo, Japan
• Anne Duk Hee Jordan (they/them) b.1978, South Korea; lives in Berlin, Germany
• Jane Jin Kaisen (she/her) b. 1980, Jeju, South Korea; lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, and New York, NY
• Matt Kenyon (he/him) b. 1977, Baton Rouge, LA; lives in Buffalo, NY
• Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge (she/they) b. 1981, Maria, Quebec, Canada; lives in Rochester, NY
• Dionne Lee (she/her) b.1988, New York, NY; lives in Columbus, OH
• Lina Lapelytė (she/her) b. 1984, Kaunas, Lithuania; lives in London, UK, and Vilnius, Lithuania
• Matthew López-Jensen (he/him) b. 1980, CT; lives in Bronx, NY
• Cathy Lu (she/her) b. 1984, Miami, FL; lives in Richmond, CA
• Mary Mattingly (she/her) b. 1978, Rockville, CT; lives in New York, NY
• Deirdre O’Mahony (she/her) b. 1956, Limerick, Ireland; lives in Cork City, Ireland
• Abraham O. Oghobase (he/him) b.1979, Lagos, Nigeria; lives in Toronto, Canada
• Kärt Ojavee (she/her) b. 1982, Rakvere, Estonia; lives in Tallinn, Estonia
• Asad Raza (he/him) b. 1974, Buffalo, NY; lives in Berlin, Germany
• Gamaliel Rodriguez (he/him) b.1977, Bayamón, Puerto Rico; lives in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
• Selma Selman (she/her) b. 1991, Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina; lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Finnegan Shannon (they/them) b. 1989, Berkeley, CA; lives in New York, NY
• Jean Shin (she/her) b. 1971, Seoul, South Korea; lives in Hurley, NY
• SIDE CORE – est. 2012, Tokyo, Japan; based in Tokyo, Japan
• Victoria-Idongesit Udondian (she/her) b. 1982, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria; lives in New York, NY, and Lagos, Nigeria
• Mierle Laderman Ukeles (she/her) b. 1939, Denver, CO; lives in New York, NY and Jerusalem, Israel
• Michael Wang (he/him) b. 1981, Olney, MD, USA; lives in Upper Grandview, NY

Press Release, Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

Photo shows screenshot taken from Pixcams. The second and remaining chick is being fed.

BASOM – A second eaglet has died in the bald eagle nest being watched at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

The eaglet, the third chick to hatch, died at about the same age as the first one and in a similar manner.

In this case, the chick ended up falling out of the nest after getting going in the wrong direction.

“We are wondering if perhaps this being a newly built nest means it is shallower than most of the more established nests that are seen on cameras,” said Emma DeLeon, vice president of the refuge Friends group. “We could be seeing things happen that occur in nature regularly, but are not usually observed.”

The moderators of the eagle cam are sad about this unfortunate event but are rooting for INWR2, the second chick to hatch, who is still doing well.

INWR2 is almost twice as old as either of the chicks who died, so hopefully it is beyond the most dangerous phase.

“Please remember that what seems tragic to us is part of life for these eagles, and that the parents and remaining chick will continue on as before,” said DeLeon.

“Nature has its own way, and we can’t change that,” said Friends group President Richard Moss. “But we can continue to watch and learn from INWR2 and its parents.”

Egg 1 was laid on February 20, hatched April 1 and died April 6. Egg 3 was laid February 27, hatched April 7 and died April 12.

The remaining eagle chick was laid February 23 and hatched April 3, making it 10 days old today, or twice as old as its two siblings were when they died.

The Friends group’s Eagle Watches on Saturdays at the Cayuga Overlook are drawing a crowd — over 100 people this past weekend. And the Friends Facebook page, which tracks developments on the nest camera, has seen a dramatic increase in views and comments, Moss said.

A link to the bald eagle nest camera can be found at the Friends website, FINWR.org.

National price up a penny to $4.13 while state sees average increase of 6 cents

Photo by Tom Rivers: A gas station in Pembroke next to the Thruway was selling regular unleaded at $4.19 and diesel at $6.05 on Saturday. The average price for diesel in the state is at $5.95 today, up 5 cents from a week ago.

The average price for regular unleaded gasoline took another big jump Orleans County over the past seven days, a 17-cent increase to $4.178 today, AAA is reporting.

The increase was as steep nationally and state-wide. The national and state averages for gas is $4.13, up a cent nationally from last Monday and up 6 cents in new York State, AAA said. A year ago the national average was $3.20 a gallon while the state average was $3.11.

“Crude oil prices remain high, coming in at $101-$103 per barrel this morning, as the conflict in the Middle East continues,” AAA said. “The price for a barrel of crude dropped below $100 but then rose again, highlighting the volatility of oil markets and fluidity of geopolitical events. In 2022, gas prices remained elevated from March through August, after Russia invaded Ukraine, peaking in June when the nation average reached a record of $5/gallon for one week.”

Here are the average prices in counties around Western New York:

• Orleans, $4.178
• Genesee, $4.126
• Monroe, $4.181
• Niagara, $4.100
• Erie, $4.167
• Wyoming, $4.141
• Livingston, $4.181
• Chautauqua, $4.102
• Cattaraugus, $3.885
• Allegany, $4.084

The highest price in the state is at $4.339 in Manhattan (New York County).

Press Release, Allies of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation

TOWN OF ALABAMA – Concerned local residents are calling attention to a new third-party report that undermines claims regarding the supposed economic benefits associated with a proposal from developer STREAM US Data Centers and its financial backer, multinational private equity giant Apollo Global Management, for a sprawling data center complex at the Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) being developed by the Genesee County Economic Development Center in the town of Alabama.

The Applied Economics Center, a non-profit consulting group that offers expert services in the areas of energy, environment, consumer protection, and equity, reviewed the financial incentives application from STREAM for $1.46 billion in sales tax and mortgage tax abatements and produced a report (click here) that addresses the claimed costs and benefits for the local community. Concerned local residents will gather today at 12:30 p.m. at the Batavia City Center to draw attention to the report findings.

Among the report’s key findings:

STREAM does not provide any supporting materials for its cost-benefit analysis (CBA), which fails to meet standards expected in a public decision-making process and is insufficient to determine whether the proposed project would provide net benefits for the local community.

STREAM failed to address potential costs associated with the project, including: effects on property values, effects on tourism and recreation, utility bill impacts, public health impacts, the cost of public infrastructure required for the project, or the local disturbances associated with project development such as placing cables and fiber optic lines.

 STREAM’s job creation estimates exceed values found in publicly available data and information, average publicly available estimates indicate that the proposed project would create about 4,100 fewer direct temporary jobs than the company claims, and 1,300 fewer indirect temporary jobs than the company claims.

STREAM has requested a local sales tax abatement and mortgage recording tax abatement, which – taken together – are worth 25 times more than the benefits provided by the proposed PILOT/Host payments. In other words: STREAM has requested tax abatements worth 25 times more than the promised benefits.

STREAM’s proposed data center may negatively impact local tourism and recreation, which are an integral part of the community and economy.

STREAM has submitted three CBAs to GCEDC. The CBA results differ substantially from one CBA to the next: total costs increased from $472 million to $781 million to $1.4 billion, and total benefits vary from $1.2 billion to $2.6 billion. STREAM has provided minimal documentation to explain or justify these differences.

The project would require 500 megawatts of electricity, approximately four times the total generation capacity currently operating in Genesee County (122 MW).

The STAMP data center proposal from STREAM and Apollo has faced strong local opposition. More than 300 people attended a March 19 public hearing on the requested financial incentives package. Over the course of more than 5 ½ hours, only two speakers expressed support for the data center proposal.

Due to a glitch with the livestream and videorecording, the hearing did not qualify as the legally required public hearing pursuant to Article 18-1 of the General Municipal Law. GCEDC has scheduled a supplemental public hearing for April 16 at 4 p.m. at the Town of Alabama Fire Hall and extended its written comment deadline to April 17. The Town of Alabama Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the Site Plan Application from STREAM on April 20 at 6 p.m. at the Alabama Fire Hall. Both hearings are open to all members of the public.

Photo by Ginny Kropf:  Members of Butts-Clark American Legion Post, Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion are welcoming the 76th New York State Bowling Tournament to Medina Lanes on April 18. This is the first time the tournament has been played in Medina. From left, in front, are Kim Stevens, Rick and Robin Boyle, Scott Carlton, Cathy Fox, Greg Smith, Judi Overholt and Chris and Jim Foss, owners of the bowling alley. Second row, from left, are Wayne Hale, Bob Stevens, Phil Rudnick, Guy Eaton, Joni and Bob Meehan.

MEDINA – For the first time in 75 years, the Annual New York State American Legion Family Bowling tournament will take place in Medina.

Members of the Butts-Clark American Legion Post, Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion will welcome 80 bowlers to the tournament at Medina Lanes for four weekends from April 18 to May 10.

The tournament is open to members of posts, units, squadrons and chapters across New York, including Legion Riders.

The committee planning the event has already received incredible support from the community, said Phil Rudnick, a member of Sons of the American Legion.

“We want to thank them,” he said.

Sponsorship opportunities include full, half or quarter page or business card size ads in the program book; lane sponsors with a lane banner with business name and logo; and donations of baskets for a raffle.

“This is an excellent opportunity for the businesses of Medina to shine and encourage visitors to come back again and again,” the committee said.

In addition to Rudnick, committee members include Judy and Rick Overholt, Auxiliary and American Legion members; Cathy Fox, president of the American Legion Auxiliary; Rick and Robin Boyle, Sons of the American Legion and Auxiliary; Scott Carlton, commander of Sons of the American Legion; Wayne Hale, SAL; Bob and Kim Stevens, SAL and Auxiliary; Guy Eaton, Sons of the American Legion; Greg Smith, American Legion; and Bob and Joni Meehan, SAL and Auxiliary.

Rudnick said they invite bowlers to come on Friday night, explore the town and shop.

“We hope they will come back for the Triennial,” he said.

Rudnick acknowledged Penny Brown of Batavia, who spearheaded efforts to bring the tournament to Medina and helped organize it.

“We are very happy to welcome this tournament to Medina, and all the veterans and their families,” Rudnick said.

The event begins with an opening ceremony with flags at 12:30 p.m. April 18 at Medina Lanes.

Chris Marsaw, who recently moved to Albion, named ‘Firefighter of the Year’

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jodi Marion, a member of the board of directors for the Albion Fire Department, receives the President’s Award from Albion FD President Scott Papponetti on Saturday during the banquet for the Albion Fire Department and Albion Joint Fire District. Marion was congratulated by, from left: Assistant Fire Chief Matt Francis, Fire Chief Jeremy Graham, and Scott Papponetti, president of the Albion FD. Marion was praised for her work behind the scenes throughout the year. She also did a lot of work planning Saturday’s banquet at the Carlton Rec Hall.

ALBION – The Albion Joint Fire District and Albion Fire Department held its annual banquet on Saturday night and celebrated a busy year 2025 where firefighters responded to 692 calls.

It was the first year of the Fire Department operated under the Joint Fire District. The department used to be part of the Village of Albion. It started on Jan. 1, 2025 as its own taxing entity with its own board of commissioners.

David Buczek, vice chairman of the board of commissioners, thanks the volunteer firefighters for their commitment to the community. Buczek is joined by chairman Al Cheverie. They spoke during Saturday’s banquet at the Carlton Rec Hall.

Buczek thanked the members of the Albion Fire Department.

“The dedication and professionalism you bring to this community does not go unnoticed,” Buczek told the firefighters. “You show up day in and day out, often in situations most people hope they never have to face, and yet you do it with pride, skill and commitment.”

He thanked the families and loved ones of the firefighters for their sacrifices when firefighters respond and answer the calls for service.

The commissioners are pleased with the good working relationship with the fire department and the commitment to giving firefighters the tools and resources to serve the community, Buczek said.

“Investing in better tools, safer gear, new apparatuses and updated equipment. These aren’t just line items in a budget, they’re investments in our firefighters and in the safety of our community,” Buczek said. “When our crews are better equipped, they can do their jobs more effectively and more safely, and that benefits everyone.”

Kevin Sheehan, left, was recognized for his service as a fire commissioner. Sheehan was elected an Albion village trustee on March 18. He stepped down as fire commissioner on March 29 due to potential conflicts with both roles. The fire district rents the fire hall from the village.

Sheehan received a plaque from Al Cheverie, chairman of the fire commissioners, and David Buczek, the vice chairman.

The plaque stated: “With sincere appreciation and in recognition of your service as a commissioner of the Albion Joint Fire District from Jan. 1, 2025 to March 29, 2026.”

Marty Stirk receives the award as “Driver of the Year” from Fire Chief Jeremy Graham.

The Fire Department presented several awards on Saturday.

Chief’s Award – Fire Chief Jeremy Graham presented the “Chief’s Award” to deputy chief Steven Papponetti for his constant communication and commitment to the department in many ways.

Chris Marsaw, left, is congratulated by Albion Fire Chief Jeremy Graham after being recognized as the “Firefighter of the Year” for 2025 in the Albion Joint Fire District. Marsaw joined Albion as a firefighter about 1 ½ years ago after moving to the community and responded to 251 calls last year. He works as an EMT for Mercy Flight.

President’s Award: Scott Papponetti, the Albion FD president, recognized Jodi Marion with the award for her efforts behind the scenes and her work planning the annual banquet. Marion is on the department’s board of directors.

Officer of the Year: AJ Fisher, who is first lieutenant, and a frequent responder and leader of the fire department.

Firefighter for the Year: Chris Marsaw, who joined the Albion FD about 18 months ago after being a part of the North Greece and Lakeshore departments. Marsaw, 30, moved to Albion with his wife Kimmie and their two children. They were drawn by the affordable housing.

He joined the Albion FD and he said he was welcomed by the department’s leaders and other firefighters. He responded to 251 calls last year.

“He comes to everything,” said Fire Chief Graham.

Marsaw is an EMT who works for Mercy Flight.

“I like being able to help people,” he said. “Albion is great department. It’s a team effort.”

Top Responder: Jeremy Babcock who responded to 430 out of the department’s 692 calls.

EMT of the Year: Robert Toman, who responded to 321 calls in 2025.

Driver of the Year: Marty Stirk

Years of Service Awards:

• 5 years: Austin Genno, Brianna Pahura, Victoria Tabor, James Fisher and Emma Klaver
• 10 years: Allyson Irwin, Gary Rowley Sr., Jason Hapeman and Krystal Hughson
• 15 years: Fred Piano
• 20 years: Mike Dalle and Dustin Pahura
• 25 years: Dennis Hunt, Sarah Meisner and Charles Prentice
• 35 years: Charlie Monacelli
• 40 years: Dean Covis
• 45 years: James Pahura
• 50 years: Jim Passarell
• 55 years: Ed Walczak
• 60 years: Tom Fintak

Some members of the Albion Fire Department gather for a group photo at the department’s annual banquet on Saturday at the Carlton Rec Hall.

Initiative will gather resident feedback, implement action plan

Press Release, Town of Carlton

CARLTON – The Town of Carlton is pleased to announce it has been selected by the Rochester Area Community Foundation and Community Foundation for Buffalo to be the first community to implement the Community Heart & Soul model in Orleans County, an initiative fully funded with grant support from Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

The program is designed to help build communities through a resident-driven process and take action on what matters most to residents.

The Community Heart & Soul model was developed over 10 years ago and has been recognized nationally by the American Planning Association as a successful approach to community planning and development. Community Heart & Soul doesn’t replace other community development and planning processes but complements existing initiatives to increase engagement and support for community-led programs and activities.

At the suggestion of Carlton Town Supervisor Gayle Ashbury and resident Penny Miller, a team of local residents met in December and January to assess what they love about living in the town of Carlton and what improvements they would like to see.

Representatives in attendance were from Carlton’s business and agriculture communities, town recreation leaders and members of the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association. The attendees’ suggestions included recreational enhancements to the town park such as basketball and pickleball courts as well as trails linking the east and west sides of the Oak Orchard River.

Infrastructure enhancements that were identified included a public sewer system and sidewalks, among other projects. Based on public input, town councilman Brian McCue drafted the application to be considered for the Community Heart & Soul designation for rural communities (population less than 25,000) which will receive seed funding, technical assistance and professional coaching over a period of approximately 18 months.

The core team leaders that were selected to begin implementing the program are Brian McCue, Heather Tabor, Lynne Menz, Penny Miller and Laura Bentley. Their core responsibility will be to carry out the 4 phases of the program:

• Phase I – Imagine: build awareness, interest and commitment in all segments of the community;
• Phase II – Connect: gather stories from residents to identity what matters most and what they love about their town;
• Phase III – Plan: develop action plans to guide future town planning;
• Phase IV – Act: get these plans adopted by town council and incorporate them into the comprehensive plan to be used for future policies and decisions.

For more information about Community Heart & Soul, visit www.communityheartandsoul.org. To be involved in the program, contact Penny Miller at 585-331-9292 or email penny@focmp.org.

Rock the Park brings about 1,000 to Bullard with proceeds going to park improvements

Photos by Tom Rivers: The band 7th Heaven fired up the crowd to close out the 10th Rock the Park music festival at Bullard Park on Aug. 2, 2025. The crowd was rocking for the concert. The organizers gave away 500 glow sticks to the attendees.

ALBION – The bands have been announced for the 11^th annual Albion Summer Music Festival, and this Rock the Park will feature some new faces to the amphitheater at Bullard Park and some long-time favorites.

This year’s music festival will be one day on Aug. 1, after recent festivals were for two days. The event takes a lot of effort from a team of volunteers, said Ron Albertson, the festival chairman. He said there is other entertainment going on in the community, including the Orleans County 4-H Fair.

The one-day event at Bullard Park will be a musical showcase.

“We have an incredible, incredible lineup this year,” Albertson said.

The performers include Knight Patrol, Songbirds, The Who Dats, V3, Mixed Experience and Bad Sign.

The band Bad Sign closed out the lineup of performers during last year’s festival on Friday night last festival. Bad Sign stepped in at the last second when there was a cancellation. Bad Sign plays blues, rock and southern rock. The band includes lead singer Erika Horning of Batavia, guitarist Erick Horning of Batavia, bass player Clint Worthington of Holley, drummer Joe Maino of Pembroke, and keyboardist Ron Bordinaro of Batavia.

Proceeds from the event have been used towards improvements at Bullard Park. Recently that included money towards a new pavilion and electrical upgrades. Rock the Park also was critical in the push to overhaul Bullard about a decade ago.

Proceeds initially went to a grant writer. Albion was successful securing a state grant for nearly $500,000 that resulted in the new amphitheater, splash park and pavilion. Other projects followed with new basketball courts, a walking trail and disc golf course.

The latest effort is focused on a new concession stand.

The non-profit organization, Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events, runs the Albion Summer Music Festival. The group has committed $5,000 towards the new concession stand, Albertson said.

GACRE also wants a new backstop fence on the baseball diamond as well as improvements to the playing field.

“We’re not done,” Albertson said. “We want to finish at Bullard Park.”

The music festival typically draws about 1,000 people with a $5 entry fee. Albertson said the organizers want to keep it affordable, and keep the amphitheater rocking.

The bands making their debut at the festival include Knight Patrol, a cover band that performs the greatest hits from the ’80s, and Songbirds, a Fleetwood Mac tribute act.

Local favorites include The Who Dats, V3, Mixed Experience and Bad Sign.

The band, V3, performed Friday evening at Bullard Park for the 10th Rock the Park/Summer Music Festival on Aug. 1, 2025. From left in photo include Jesse Neely on bass, lead singer Kole Moore and Alex Fitzak on guitar. V3 will be at this year’s event on Aug. 1.

Provided photo: About 30 volunteers picked up trash along Kendall roadways in April 24, 2021. This photo shows John Patt, a Kendall Boy Scout at left, and other volunteers including his father, Jim Patt.

KENDALL – The community is welcome to be part of the next roadside cleanup in Kendall.

The Kendall Highway Department and the Kendall Lions Club will join for the roadside cleanup on Saturday, April 25, as part of Earth Day.

Volunteers are asked to check in at the Highway Department at 9 a.m. on Crandall Avenue to be assigned a route. Completion is at noon.

The Kendall Lions Club will be cooking hot dogs that will be ready after the cleanup.

Press Release, Orleans County DSS

ALBION – Registration is now open for the Orleans County Department of Social Services’ (DSS) next Lilypad Safe Harbour series event which will start on Thursday, April 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hoag Library, 134 S. Main Street in Albion.

The remaining sessions will be held on April 23rd and April 30th.  Each session covers separate topics, therefore, it is highly suggested youth attend all three sessions.

The Lilypad is open to all Orleans County youth aged 12 to 21 years old. The goal of Lilypad is to educate young people on building healthy relationships and self-esteem, as well as how to recognize  red flags that will protect them from online predators.

“Our Lilypad Safe Harbour events are all about giving young people the tools to create healthy relationships, set boundaries, and protect themselves from potentially dangerous situations,” said Cyndi Stumer, Deputy DSS Commissioner.  “Young people face a lot of pressures in a world where we are all connected through our devices, so we want them to be safe and know where to turn to for help.”

Stumer said the event will feature multiple speakers several different community partners that will offer insights into the resources available to young folks and the signs to look for when a situation could pose a threat, particularly in areas like online grooming and exploitation.

“We approach this material in a manner that allows young people to feel comfortable discussing these serious topics,” said Stumer.  “We will also be providing snacks, holding raffles and handing out prizes throughout the evening to lighten things up.”

Advance registration is preferred for planning purposes. However, walk-in registrations are also welcome. To register your youth for Lilypad, please contact Orleans County Safe Harbour at Safeharbour@orleanscountyny.gov or by telephone at 585-589-2837.

Federal cost shifts, inflation and rising healthcare and pensions strain counties

Press Release, New York State Association of Counties

As a confluence of federal cost shifts, general inflation, rising pension obligations, and growing healthcare costs are creating a fiscal emergency for county governments, the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) is calling for support in the SFY 2027 State Budget.

Starting in 2027, counties will be forced to absorb at least $870 million in higher costs from federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, reductions in federal Medicaid revenue, growth in current pension obligations, and other state mandated cost shifts. These increases arrive as counties are already showing signs of fiscal stress, with 12 counties exceeding the property tax cap in their 2026 budgets—the most in a decade.

Counties are calling on the Governor and State Legislature to assume the local share of new SNAP administrative costs and provide meaningful county relief, on par with what has been proposed for other municipalities, in the enacted SFY 2026–27 budget.

“Counties are the backbone of New York’s service delivery system, implementing state and federal programs in every community,” said Stephen Acquario, executive director of NYSAC. “But this wave of new costs is just unsustainable, and without state partnership, local governments will be forced into difficult choices that could reduce services to residents and businesses.”

Federal Cost Shifts

Beginning October 1, 2026, under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the federal share of SNAP administrative costs drops from 50 percent to 25 percent—shifting an estimated $170 million in new annual costs to counties and New York City. At the same time, New York’s SNAP error rate exposes the state to up to $1.2 billion in annual federal penalties beginning as early as October 2027.

New York is one of only three states in the nation that requires counties to both administer SNAP and pay a share of its administrative costs. When the federal share drops from 50 percent to 25 percent, counties—not the state—are left holding 75 percent of the bill.

“Nearly three million New Yorkers depend on SNAP each month—the vast majority are children, seniors, and people with disabilities,” said Phil Church, President of NYSAC. “If counties cannot meet the administrative demands of a restructured program, New Yorkers who depend on these benefits will suffer. We warned our Congressional Delegation this would happen and urged a federal delay.”

Medicaid Cost Shifts

New York State is unique in its requirement that counties and New York City must pay a direct share of the program costs of Medicaid services. Today, this cost exceeds $7.6 billion annually.

In SFY 2024, the State began to phase out the annual sharing of $625 million in federal Medicaid funds. By early 2025, these federal savings to counties were completely eliminated. Counties and New York City are now absorbing this loss in funding into local budgets.

“For just a handful of mandated programs, including Medicaid, counties and New York City contribute more than $14 billion annually in local taxes,” said Ryan McMahon, president of the New York State County Executives Association. “And yet, every budget proposal this year allocated zero dollars in new state revenue sharing or unrestricted aid to counties.”

Pension Costs—Before and After Enhancements

Based on the State Comptroller’s October 2025 actuarial report, NYSAC projects that employer pension contributions for FYE 2027 will increase by approximately $180 million for counties alone—before any benefit enhancements currently under consideration in this budget take effect.

The pension enhancements now being discussed could add another $125 to $150 million in new annual costs for counties, bringing the potential total to $330 million.  Most of this new higher state-imposed expense was not accounted for when counties adopted their budgets in late 2025.

“It is worth noting that a central purpose of the 2012 Tier 6 reforms was precisely to prevent local governments from bearing these costs—with an explicit commitment that the State would pre-fund any future benefit enhancements. That commitment should be honored,” noted Acquario.