MEDINA – Three people were safely rescued from a fire this morning on Sout Main Street in Medina.

The Medina Fire Department was dispatched to 824 South Main St. at 5:52 a.m. Firefighters encountered active fire and heavy smoke conditions near the entrances of two apartments of a large multi-unit apartment building.

Medina Police officers were first on the scene and attempted to slow the spread of fire with several fire extinguishers.

With reports of multiple residents still inside, firefighters deployed a 1¾’ hoseline and initiated fire attack, Fire Chief Steve Cooley said in a news release.

“After knocking down the fire at the doorway, crews made entry into an apartment under hazardous smoke-filled conditions,” Cooley said. “Firefighters quickly located and removed two occupants, a mother and child.”

Firefighters were then told a third person remained inside a bedroom. Lieutenant Adam Fisher and Firefighter Amanda Cassano re-entered the apartment with the protection of a hoseline and conducted a targeted search with the thermal imaging camera, locating and rescuing the third victim found in the bedroom, Cooley said.

Additional firefighters and Medina police officers conducted searches of the remaining smoke-filled apartments to ensure all occupants were accounted for. Medina firefighter-paramedics immediately began medical evaluations and treatment of the rescued residents, Cooley said.

“As additional firefighters arrived, crews completed primary and secondary searches, continued suppression efforts, and conducted overhaul to ensure the fire was fully extinguished,” Cooley said,

The Orleans County Fire Investigation Unit, assisted by the Medina Fire Department Investigation Unit, began determining the cause of the fire. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office accelerant detection K9 unit also responded to assist. The fire cause is under investigation.

Two residents were transported to Strong Memorial Hospital. One occupant left the scene prior to transport, and another resident was evaluated for smoke inhalation but declined further treatment. No firefighters were injured at this incident.

East Shelby, Albion ladder, Middleport and Mercy EMS all responded to the scene with the Middleport Fire Company providing coverage at the Medina Fire Station to ensure uninterrupted emergency response within the village during the incident.

“We extend our sincere appreciation to all the agencies listed above including the Orleans County dispatchers and deputies, village code enforcement and the Red Cross,” Cooley said. “During this incident, an additional EMS call within the village was handled by Medina Fire Ambulance. We would also like to thank the manager of Dunkin’ Donuts for delivering fresh coffee to crews operating on scene.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Workers from Upstate Tower Construction in West Seneca are shown putting up a 180-foot-high tower in Carlton on Feb. 5, 2024. The tower is next to the Town Hall and highway garage on Waterport-Carlton Road. The tower was paid for as part of $2,990,000 grant from the state to the county through the Statewide Interoperable Communications Grant. That grant pays for the new tower in Carlton, a new tower and equipment at the Orleans County Emergency Management Office on West Countyhouse Road in Albion, and two backup 911 dispatch consoles at the EMO site. A separate $11.5 million grant is paying for more towers and high-speed internet equipment.

ALBION – Two new towers for high-speed internet service will be built in Ridgeway and Carlton, and equipment also will be going on a grain silo in Clarendon.

Those projects are part of a build-out of the wireless internet system in the county. The county in November 2024 was awarded a $11,562,698 state grant to upgrade wireless internet service throughout the county.

The funding came through the Empire State Development’s ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Program. This will allow the county to increase wireless internet speeds from the current 25 Mega Bit Per Seconds (Mbps) to 100 (Mbps).

There are currently 19 towers for the high-speed internet system. The Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday gave its support for two new towers plus the equipment on a grain silo in Clarendon. Those additions should fill gaps in internet coverage.

The county approved a $11,216,500 contract from North Shore Networks LLC in Medina to implement the faster internet service. That company is led by Duston Ellis, who worked over a decade in Kentucky for Broadlinc, helping run a high-speed internet service in a rural area. Ellis moved to Medina to be near his wife’s family.

• The new 150-foot-high tower in Carlton will be a monopole at 961 Wilson Rd. near the Village of Albion Water Treatment Plant.

• The 150-foot-high tower in Ridgeway will be at 2490 Townline Rd. on land owned by Panek Farms. The tower will be on a site that is not being actively farmed.

• In  Clarendon, an antenna array will be installed atop an existing 140-foot-high grain silo at 5122 Soth Holley Rd., near Glidden Road. The property is owned by Kevin Wolf, LLC.

The equipment includes four radios and a network cabinet. The radios will broadcast out at 90 degrees in each direction.

Press Release, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today released the following statement regarding Operation Epic Fury and the joint U.S. and Israeli military strikes targeting the Iranian regime.

“As the Department of War brilliantly executes Operation Epic Fury against the despotic Islamist Iranian regime, I pray for the safety of all our U.S. service members and allies in the region,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “I hope the brave Iranian people will take back their country from the brutal mullahs, and the people of Iran can have a future of peace and prosperity, instead of tyranny and terrorism.”

UPDATE at 1:23 p.m.: Gov. Kathy Hochul issued this statement:

“Following the U.S. military operations in Iran overnight, we are taking precautionary steps to protect New Yorkers. State Police are increasing their presence at religious, diplomatic, and cultural sites statewide in coordination with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. Additionally, in advance of the Jewish holiday of Purim, State Police remain alert and have already begun outreach to religious organizations to offer support.

“While there have been no specific, credible threats to New York identified, we continue to monitor online activity for any potential threats, and we encourage New Yorkers to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.”

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement on U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran:

“I came to Congress in opposition to endless wars. Trump’s actions today risk exactly that again.

“Congress should return to session immediately to vote on a war powers resolution.

“The president lacks the constitutional authority – and in my opinion, the temperament and judgment – to act in such a reckless fashion.

“I pray for the safety and well-being of our brave service members and American families in the region.

“America voted for lower costs, not forever wars.”

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board is recommending the Town of Yates approve a special use permit for Call Farms in Batavia for farmworker housing at 2162 Lyndonville Rd.

Call Farms has already built two barns near the property as part of a new seed potato operation. They would use an existing house for about 10 farmworkers who would be in the H2A guest worker program. The house is south of the Village of Lyndonville on Route 63 ina residential-agricultural district.

The house for farmworkers is not expected to result in a significant increase in traffic to the area, the County Planning Board said during its meeting on Thursday in Albion.

“It’s a positive thing for the community,” said Planning Board member Gary Daum of Lyndonville. “Call Farms is a first-class operation. They’re very conscientious.”

Call Farms isn’t planning any exterior work on the house, but will do a small amount of interior work and may need to enlarge the septic system if required by the Orleans County Health Department.

The Planning Board also acted on another referral from the Town of Yates. The board supported a special use permit for Kervin Stauffer to run a home business repairing hydraulic cylinders and heavy equipment, and could include part sales at 11916 Roosevelt Highway, which is in a residential-agricultural district.

Stauffer wants to build a 10-by-12-foot storage shed and 50-by-70-foot accessory structure for the business.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – ONE Catholic is hosting the Albion Ministerium’s annual Lenten Luncheon series on Wednesdays at St. Joseph’s Lyceum, 114 South Main Street.

This past Wednesday was the first luncheon of the season. Albion churches and clergy take turns preparing soups and sandwiches, and also sharing a devotional message.

Elsie Boring and her daughter, the Rev. Susan Boring, are in line to try some of the soups and sandwiches prepared by the First Baptist Church of Albion and the Gaines Carlton Community Church. The Rev. Boring is pastor of the Eagle Harbor Methodist Church.

Mike Thaine, left, was an enthusiastic participant in the luncheon. The serving line includes, front to back, Peggy Bropst, Cheryl Denson, Eileen Allen and Lori Thomson.

The hour-long gatherings will occur five consecutive Wednesdays, from Feb. 25 through March 25.

There is no charge for the meal. A free will offering is collected to be used for luncheon supplies and other Ministerium events, such as the Albion High School Baccalaureate in June.

Kay Marsh plays the piano for one of the hymns during Wednesday’s luncheon. Pastor Marsha Rivers of the First Baptist Church and Gaines Carlton Community Church gave the message.

Medina’s Lenten luncheon series is hosted by the Medina Area Association of Churches. It started last Thursday and takes place at noon every Thursday for six weeks at the First Presbyterian Church on Main Street.

Participating churches will provide lunch on a rotating basis, followed by a meaningful reflection. There is a suggested donation of $5 for lunch, with all the proceeds going to the Meals on Wheels program and the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen in Albion.

Provided photo:  County Legislator John Fitzak, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson and Legislator Skip Draper meet in Tenney’s office in Washington, DC.

Press Release, Orleans County Legislature

WASHINGTON, DC – Orleans County legislative leaders joined nearly 2,000 county leaders from across the country for the 2026 National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference this week in Washington, D.C.

The conference featured speakers from the Trump Administration and Congress including of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Lee Zeldin, head of the Environmental Protection Agency.  Conference attendees shaped NACo’s legislative agenda, received updates on key federal policies and advocated for county priorities on Capitol Hill.

“Each year, we use this conference as an opportunity to collaborate with county leaders from across the country on our shared priorities and then advocate for those policies and the specific needs of Orleans County with federal leaders,” said Lynne Johnson, Chairman of the Orleans County Legislature.  “In previous years, our advocacy efforts have been key to securing federal funding for local projects.”

Joining Chairman Johnson at the NACo conference were Legislators Merle “Skip” Draper of Medina and John Fitzak of Carlton.  The conference touched on several key areas of importance to Orleans County including data centers, artificial intelligence, workforce development and public safety. There was also a Federal Agency Expo, with nearly 50 federal program offices sending representatives to meet with conference participants and build intergovernmental partnerships.

“Federal policies have direct and long-lasting impacts on county governments and our residents,” said NACo President J.D. Clark. “NACo’s Legislative Conference is an important opportunity for county leaders to strengthen relationships with our intergovernmental partners, tell our county story and advocate for county priorities that help our communities and residents thrive.”

The conference culminated in an Advocacy Day of Action, positioning attendees to advocate for county federal policy priorities.  Orleans County officials spent time on Capitol Hill meeting with staff from Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand’s office. In addition, Orleans County officials met with Congresswoman Tenney and staff from the USDA.

Orleans County leaders thanked federal representatives for securing funding for the future Emergency Management Operations Center and the Public Safety Building rehabilitation.  This year’s priorities included funding for the modernization and upgrades of the former Genesee Community College building in Albion for the Probation Department; support for the regional dredging initiative that includes Oak Orchard Harbor; and funding for Marine Park dock repairs to support public safety.

“We know we will not get everything we ask for, but it’s important to continue to beat the drum for our funding priorities and hope our federal representatives can deliver,” Fitzak said. “Sometimes it takes years of asking before a funding pot is identified for a project, so our job is to keep it on the front burner until that happens.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: The pavement on Ingersoll Street in Albion has cracks and potholes after four months of punishing winter weather. This photo was taken on Thursday. The Village of Albion DPW was out today using cold patch to fill in the pavement.

ALBION – The brutally cold winter has caused cracks in street pavement and big leaks in waterlines.

It’s also meant many trips for DPW and highway departments for salting and plowing roads.

Crews have been out frequently since early November with few breaks from any prolonged warmups in the temperatures.

Jay Pahura, the Village of Albion DPW superintendent, said his crews have already been out 82 times for salting in the past four months. The village is down to its last load of salt – 80 tons, he told the Village Board on Wednesday.

The winter started in earnest in early November. Pahura said village crews were out salting 30 times before Jan. 1. In some winters, the DPW plows and salters don’t see much action until January.

The freezing temperatures also have been hard on the village’s underground infrastructure. Pahura said there have been 10 major water leaks this winter, including one on East Bank Street on Wednesday that probably was a 200,000-gallon water loss.

The village’s water system typically shows a 15 percent water loss from leaks in the system. But the current report reports about 20 percent.

Village Trustee Will Gabalski said the brutal winter has caused major waterline ruptures through Western New York, not just Albion.

“It’s been a tough winter,” Pahura said. “It’s hard on the roads and what’s underneath.”

It’s also hard on the DPW budget with additional costs for salt and overtime.

Albion DPW crews are out today putting cold patch on roads. Steve Borowczyk, left, and Shaun Stephens were working on Ingersoll Street.

ALBION – A business that will be growing cannabis in a 1,000-squarefoot warehouse has the Orleans County Planning Board’s support.

Joe Molisani Jr., owner of Dream orchard LLC, wants to cultivate the cannabis at 13353 Kendrick Rd., Waterport. He then plans to sell it from another business he plans to be opening in downtown Medina, a cannabis dispensary.

Molisani said he won’t be selling any cannabis directly from the Kendrick Road site. If he has any wholesale orders, he will make the deliveries with no customers coming to the site in Carlton.

He needs a special use permit from Carlton to grow the cannabis. The County Planning Board recommended Carlton approve the permit. Some of the Planning Board members didn’t think a special use permit was necessary because Molisani will be doing an allowed use in a residential-agricultural district.

Molisani has his license to grow cannabis as a micro-business through the state’s Office of Cannabis Management.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Kay Van Nostrand describes this steel shovel used by her father all of his life to shovel snow, coal and even grain. (Right) Georgia Thomas, a member of Medina Historical Society, brought this 12-candle mold to Show and Tell at the February meeting.

MEDINA – The Medina Historical Society’s meeting on Monday night was a crowd-pleaser.

Once a year, the society features “Show and Tell,” and gives members an opportunity to share unique, unusual or unknown items with the membership.

While a stormy evening likely kept some people away, the brave souls who attended the meeting enthusiastically enjoyed the evening’s presentation.

Historical Society president Reinhard Rogowski welcomed guests and announced the next two meetings would be at the Medina Senior Center, due to construction at the library. At the March 30 meeting, Ron Stork will share some of his collection of Medina treasures. The April 27 meeting will feature Erica Wanecski giving a history of Medina Memorial Hospital.

The first to “Show and Tell” was Diane Mazur, who brought her grandmother’s wedding shoes. They were black, size 4 and perfectly preserved.

Next, Georgia Thomas produced an 18th century candle mold, which made 12 beeswax candles. She shared how she made bayberry candles at Christmas.

“Bayberry is very expensive, but it smells nice,” she said.

 Kay Van Nostrand demonstrated a very heavy shovel made of steel.

“I grew up in Attica where they had lots of snow, and my dad used this to shovel snow,” she said. “He was married in 1928 in Dannemora and I’m sure he shoveled snow there. This was the only shovel he ever used. He shoveled a path to the house, to the barn, to the woodshed and to the driveway. In his younger days, he shoveled coal for train cars. He was also known to shovel grain. He would wax his shovel with paraffin from my mother’s canning jars.”

(Left) A photo of noted Medina builder Frank Mallison was shared by Orleans County historian Catherine Cooper during Show and Tell at the Medina Historical Society’s meeting on Monday. The photo was discovered at a house sale in Shelby. Mallison is credited with building many of Medina’s historic buildings. (Right) Ron Stork entertained members of the Medina Historical Society during their Show and Tell meeting with a demonstration of this musical cigarette box.

Catherine Cooper, Orleans County historian and board member of Medina Historical Society, shared a photograph of contractor and builder Frank Mallison, which had been discovered at a house sale in Shelby. On the back it listed four generations of his descendants.

“This is significant because Mallison’s buildings form part of the structure of Medina,” Cooper said.

Some of the buildings built by Mallison include Medina Cold Storage, the Senior Citizen’s Center, armory, Medina Memorial Hospital, the high school, S.A. Cook buildings on East Avenue and Main Street, the Masonic Temple addition and the chapel at West Ridgeway Cemetery.

“He left a lasting memory,” Cooper said.

Ron Stork, a longtime collector of Monitor clocks, brought a very unique gadget – a cigarette music box made by Edgar Gould. Gould also made Monitor clocks, owned Medina Toy Company and worked with veterinarian Dr. Stocking. The music boxes were last made in 1933, Stork said. He said they would sit on a bar and for a penny a customer could buy a cigarette. As the six-sided music box revolved, its doors opened wide.

The program concluded with Shirley Bright-Neeper, who read a letter she had received from the late Pete Nesbitt of Pine Hill, after meeting him in 1992. Pete and his older brother Bob were both Navy pilots – Bob serving in World War II and Pete joining 12 years later in peace time. Bob was awarded four Flying Crosses for his heroics during the war.

“This was another year of intriguing items at the Show and Tell,” Cooper said.

Photo by Tom Rivers: A farmer harvests soybeans on East Barre Road in Barre on Oct. 13, 2019.

Press Release, Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County

KNOWLESVILLE – “Farming Under Pressure,” a stress management and suicide prevention workshop designed for farmers, farm families, growers, and agricultural professionals will occur at the Orleans County Fairgrounds.

The workshop will take place on March 19 beginning 8:30 a.m. at 12690 State Route 31, Albion, in the Harrington Classroom. The presentation is open to growers and members of the public.

This educational session will feature speakers from FarmNet and GOW Pathway to Hope. Together, they will address the unique pressures facing those in agriculture and provide practical tools to support mental wellness in farming communities.

Topics will include:

• Common stressors in agriculture and how they impact mental health
• Practical stress management tools participants can use immediately
• Warning signs of suicide risk
• How to start conversations and support someone who may be struggling
• Available local and regional resources for farmers

Farming is demanding work. Long hours, financial pressure, isolation, and unpredictable conditions can take a toll. This workshop is designed to provide practical guidance in a respectful, stigma free environment and to strengthen support networks within the agricultural community.

The program is offered in partnership with FarmNet, Tobacco-Free, and GOW Pathway to Hope.

There is no cost to attend. Pre-registration is not required.

For more information, contact Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension at 585-798-4265, orleans@cornell.edu or visit https://cce.cornell.edu/orleans.

Site plan goes to Village of Albion Planning Board for final vote on March 12

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Broadway Group wants to knock down this building at 327 East Ave. and build a new 10,640-square-foot Dollar General across from the high school. The Broadway Group will remove three underground storage tanks as part of the project. The current building has been used for auto sales and a warehouse. Ridge Road Station parks school buses on the site.

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday voted in support of the site plan for a new Dollar General store at 327 East Ave. in Albion, a store that would be across from the high school.

Fagan Engineers created this site plan showing the parking lot with 35 spaces for vehicles and a 10,640-square-foot building.

One Planning Board member, Bruce Kirby of Gaines, opposed the store at that location, saying he is concerned students from the school would eagerly be going to the Dollar General for snacks and likely wouldn’t use the cross walk from the road across from the middle school.

“A lot of us are concerned about putting a candy store across from the school,” Kirby said during the board meeting. “This is a damn bad place to have a store.”

Other Planning Board members noted the zoning as general commercial fits for the store. The site is in a school zone with the speed limit at 20 miles per hour, and there already is an ice cream business next to the proposed site.

There also is a crossing guard at the beginning and end of the school days, and the Albion Police Department also helps monitor the speed on East Avenue.

Kirby said the zoning may allow for the store, but he declared “it’s not safe.”

Dan Strong, the Planning Board vice chairman, noted there is a Dollar General in Lyndonville across from the school. He said he is unaware of any incidents with students and traffic.

Another board member, William Quaranto from Carlton, said he was concerned about delivery trucks being able to negotiate the site. The plan shows them pulling in on one side of the store, and then backing up on part of the site. Then will back in front of the store and be able to exit the site driving forward. The trucks will be limited to exiting from the east only. That was a stipulation by the state Department of Transportation.

Trey Lewis, development manager for the Broadway Group, said many other stores have the same layout for truck deliveries as the one proposed for Albion. He expects there will be one or two Dollar General truck deliveries a week and those deliveries can be scheduled during lower peak times. There will also be trucks from other vendors, such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola.

The Broadway Group will demolish the existing building and will need to remove three underground tanks. Then it will build the new 10,640-square-foot store with 35 parking spaces.

The project goes before the Village of Albion Planning Board for a final vote on the site at 5 p.m. on March 12. The County Planning Board voted to recommend Albion approve the site plan.

The property is owned by Chris Kinter, the village’s code enforcement officer. He has recused himself from the review of the project with Dan Strong, the Town of Albion code enforcement officer, filling in for the village with this proposal.

The Orleans County Planning Board discusses the site plan for a Dollar General on East Avenue in Albion.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Main Street on Albion at the East Bank Street intersection is shown on Wednesday evening.

ALBION – The Albion Historic Preservation Commission is no longer an entity where building owners need to get “certificates of appropriateness” for signs, exterior renovations, structural work or demolition of a building in the historic downtown district.

The Albion Village Board on Wednesday voted to do away with the commission which has struggled in recent years to get a quorum. The group has seven members and needs at least four to have a meeting.

The lack of a quorum has slowed approvals for projects in the downtown, code enforcement officer Chris Kinter said. He told the Village Board he has two applications that have been waiting on the commission.

Although the HPC has been disbanded, the duties of the group will be passed to either the code enforcement officer or the Planning Board. That will be determined by the Village Board.

“Don’t just throw it away,” Planning Board Chairwoman Karen Conn told the Village Board. “We should preserve what we have.”

The HPC’s most recent members included Ian Mowatt, Mary Anne Braunbach, Linda Smith and Courtney Henderson. None of them spoke against doing away with the HPC at Wednesday’s public hearing.

Trustee Joyce Riley said Albion can discuss the preservation standards if the village moves to update its comprehensive plan.

Trustee Tim McMurray said the code for the downtown standards should be revamped. He said there are some inconsistencies. He noted projecting signs are allowed in one part of the code but not in another.

Any changes in the code would need to have another public hearing for the community to have a chance to comment.

The village code notes Albion “has many significant historic, architectural and cultural resources which constitute its heritage.” The village has sought to “protect and enhance the landmarks and historic districts which represent distinctive elements of Albion’s historic, architectural, and cultural heritage.”

The code states certificates of appropriateness will be needed for alteration, demolition or new construction affecting landmarks or historic districts.

“No person shall carry out any exterior alteration, restoration, reconstruction, demolition, new construction, or moving of a landmark or property within an historic district, nor shall any person make any material change in the appearance of such property, its light fixtures, freestanding lights, signs, sidewalks, fences, stairs, outbuildings, walls, driveways or alleys, paving or any other exterior element which affects the appearance and cohesiveness of the landmark or historic district without first obtaining a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission,” the code states.

Provided photo: A grouping of flower pots is positioned in front of Rotary Park at the four corners of downtown Medina. The Medina Area Partnership is seeking donations to place 69 flower pots in the business district this summer.

MEDINA – Beautifying the downtown business district has always been a major goal of the Medina Area Partnership, and in continuing that long trend they have announced plans to place 69 flower pots throughout the downtown, in addition to four hanging baskets at the intersection of Main and Center streets.

To achieve that initiative they are seeking monetary donations from the public to assist with the cost of flowers, soil and other products associated with the project.

“These efforts are not possible without the support of the community and help from the village DPW in placing and watering the plants,” said Mary Lewis of Creekside Floral who chairs the project.

Lewis said the downtown flower project was started about 20 years ago by the Medina Business Association, which became Medina Area Partnership. She doesn’t know how many pots were originally sponsored, but she is sure the number steadily grew to the 69 flower pots and four hanging baskets they have had in recent years.

She said they have limited the pots to that number, as they have to rely on the Department of Public Works to place and water the pots all summer.

“We couldn’t do this without them, and we don’t want to over-burden them,” Lewis said.

Lewis also stressed their efforts would not be possible without the support of the community, on whom they count for donations to cover the costs associated with the project.

The cost to sponsor a flower pot is $100 and anyone who is interested should send a check payable to Medina Area Partnership, in care of Creekside Floral, 509 Main St., Medina. Sponsors will be recognized on a sign in a flowerpot, on the large sign outside of City Hall and on the MAP website.

Donations of any amount will also be accepted to assist with beautification projects. Donation forms can be found on MAP’s website.

Lewis urges everyone to consider helping them continue to make Medina’s downtown community and greater Medina area an attractive place to visit.

Lewis notes that signs may not be placed until June 30.

Anyone with questions is welcome to contact Lewis at Creekside Floral.