By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 February 2026 at 3:27 pm
This is a photo of a print out of a rendering of the proposed Dollar General store in Albion on East Avenue across from the high school.
ALBION – The Village of Albion Planning Board will take comments from the public about the site plan for a new Dollar General on Route 31 across from the high school.
The public hearing will be 5 p.m. on Thursday at the Village Office, 35-37 East Bank St.
The Broadway Group LLC from Huntsville Ala. is seeking to build the new store at 327 East Ave. The company is proposing a single-story 10,566-square-foot building with parking, storm water management, lighting, landscaping and connection to public utilities.
The 1.12-acre site is owned by Chris Kinter, the village’s code enforcement officer. Kinter has recused himself from the application and review.
The Broadway Group plans to demolish the existing structure, a former auto garage and vehicle maintenance facility. The site is currently used to park school buses.
The village Zoning Board of Appeals on Sept. 9 approved a variance for the project, allowing Dollar General to have 35 parking spaces instead of the 53 required for a store that size. Albion’s zoning calls for one parking space for every 200 square feet of a retail store.
The Broadway Group said having 35 parking spaces will allow for more green space on the site.
ALBION – The Orleans County Youth Bureau today announced that nominations are now open for its 44th Annual Youth Recognition Awards. The purpose of these awards is to recognize those youth who have performed outstanding service for our community and/or have assumed an extraordinary role within their families by helping to support themselves.
“Each year we look to highlight the young people in our community who are committed to serving others, whether it’s through volunteer efforts or assuming tremendous responsibility within their own families, said Kelly Kiebala, Director of the Orleans County Youth Bureau. “By honoring the hard work of our award winners, hopefully we can inspire others to follow their lead.”
Anyone is welcome to nominate a candidate, but nominations from family members must be accompanied by a supporting recommendation from a non-family member. Nominees must reside in an Orleans County school district and be a minimum of 14 years of age and under the age of 21 before June 30.
In addition to the youth recognition awards, the Youth Bureau is also accepting nominations for the Helen Brinsmaid Award, given to an Orleans County youth-serving professional, in a paid position, whose work surpasses normal expectations, and the Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Recognition Award, presented to an adult who serves the youth of Orleans County in a volunteer setting.
“Young people need mentors and positive role models and we have been very fortunate to honor some tremendous individuals over the years who did a remarkable job with our young people,” said Kiebala. “If you know someone who is making a difference working with our youth, please consider nominating them.”
All nomination forms can be found at the Youth Bureau webpage (click here). Nominations must be submitted to the Youth Bureau by March 15.
Chart information from NYS Department of Motor Vehicles.
Press Release, NYS Department of Motor Vehicles
ALBANY – The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is reminding motorists that beginning Monday, February 16, some of the most serious traffic violations will have increased point values.
These changes will strengthen the state’s ability to keep persistently dangerous drivers off the roads and protect everyone else who drives, rides, walks, or bikes in communities across the state.
In addition to the updated points, these regulations adjust the time frame in which DMV can take administrative action against a persistent violator, going from an 18-month look back to a 24-month look back.
Many existing point assignments, such as the five points for any violation involving a mobile phone or portable electronic device while driving, or zero points for equipment violations, will remain as they are, with no additional changes.
“These updated regulations will have no impact on drivers who follow the rules of the road, but they will have a big impact on dangerous drivers and repeat offenders whose poor choices always put other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians at risk,” said NYS DMV Commissioner and Chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Mark J.F. Schroeder. “Our job is to make sure that New York’s roads are safe for everyone, and if someone chooses to be reckless and unsafe, they do not deserve to be behind the wheel, period.”
The changes were first announced as proposed regulatory amendments in September 2023, following Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2023 State of the State proposal to get high-risk and dangerous drivers off New York’s roads. They went through the State Administrative Procedure Act (SAPA) process, including multiple postings in the State Register and public comment periods. A prior regulatory change, which allows for permanent license denial for anyone with four alcohol- or drug-related convictions or incidents became enforceable in January 2025.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 February 2026 at 11:11 am
ALBION – The Albion Board of Education on Monday evening gave unanimous approval to a merger of its football program with Medina.
The two schools are gridiron rivals going back more than a century. But programs have declining student participation, putting both programs at risk of being able to field teams.
Medina’s Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the merger during a 6:30 p.m. meeting today.
Albion didn’t discuss potential names and uniform colors for the merged team or length of the contract. They details will be worked out in the coming months, said Chris Kinter, a member of the Albion Board of Education.
The two districts need to decide this month if there is a merged program to give Section 6 time to work out the classifications and schedule for the fall football season.
The agreement on Medina’s agenda for today calls for a five-year agreement between the two schools with the team to be called the “Orleans Rivals.”
The schools are to split the costs 50-50 for the first two years for modified, junior varsity and varsity. (Both schools didn’t field JV teams this past year due to a shortage of players.) After two years the costs will be based on percentages of student participation from each district. That percentage cost will then be updated annually.
Student-athletes from Medina and Albion who seek to participate in the football program must try out, according to the agreement. No student will be guaranteed a position on the team or playing time.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 February 2026 at 9:50 am
Village will see what new truck will command on the market; Medina may ultimately decide to keep it
Photos by Tom Rivers: Village Trustee Deborah Padoleski, left, led the effort to declare the ladder truck as surplus to begin the process of possibility selling the equipment before it is put into service. Trustee Jess Marciano, right, voted to not declare the truck surplus.
MEDINA – The majority of the Medina Village Board voted on Monday to declare a new ladder truck surplus to start the process of possibility selling the truck and backing off plans for a new addition of the fire hall.
Trustee Deborah Padoleski introduced the resolution to declare the truck surplus, and that was seconded by Trustee Mark Prawel. They were joined by Trustee Scott Bieliski in voting to declare it surplus, with Trustee Jess Marciano and Mayor Marguerite Sherman in favor of keeping the new $1.7 million truck.
The truck has been delivered to Medina and is currently being kept in the compost facility on North Gravel Road near Boxwood Cemetery. The current fire hall is too small for the new ladder truck. The previous truck from 1996 was 10 feet, 4 inches in height and could barely fit in the fire hall bay, which has a height of 10 feet, 6 inches. The new truck is about 13 feet in height.
A representative from Pierce Manufacturing is in Medina for three days this week to train median firefighters on the new truck. That started on Monday and continues to Wednesday.
Captain Michael Young of the Medina Fire Department urges the Village Board to keep the ladder truck, saying it offers many benefits for fighting fires and responding to emergencies. He said upgrades to the fire hall have been put off for decades.
The board agreed to allow the training to be complete, but the three board members in favor of selling the don’t want the truck to be lettered saying, “Medina Fire Department.”
The training is an estimated $4,000 to $6,000 and is part of the contract with Pierce, said Fire Chief Steve Cooley. The detailing also is an estimated $6,300 and is included in the contract.
Trustee Bieliski said it doesn’t make sense to have the lettering done if the truck will be sold to another department.
He wants to see what the truck will command in the market. Medina paid $1.7 million for it, and now quint trucks with 100-foot-long ladders are going for $2.5 million.
The village could make a profit on the sale and those proceeds could go to buying a used ladder truck that would fit in the existing fire hall, Bieliski said during Monday’s Village Board meeting.
Village Attorney Matt Brooks said he has tried to research a similar situation, where a village has bought a new piece of equipment only to turn around and declare it surplus. He hasn’t found a similar example.
The village may need to do a referendum to sell the ladder truck. It may face tax issues if it makes a profit. It will need a sign-off from its lender, the US Department of Agriculture. Brooks said there may be other issues to check as well.
Declaring an item surplus is usually done when the item is “superfluous or unusable,” Brooks said.
The new ladder trucks obviously isn’t unusable, and he said it may be a stretch to say it’s superfluous especially when the village could then buy a used ladder truck.
“Does it fit the definition of surplus,” he said. “It might.”
Padoleski, who is retired as Medina’s village clerk, said she checked with Rural Development, a branch of the USDA, and the agency is fine with the truck being declared surplus and Medina paying off the 20-year loan right away.
Mayor Sherman said she wants to convene a meeting with Rural Development, the village’s financial advisor and the village attorney about the next steps and ramifications.
Sherman said she and Bieliski and Fire Chief Cooley have looked up used ladder trucks and they are expensive, well over $1 million with some at $1.7 million.
And Captain Michael Young of the Medina FD said the used trucks don’t fit in the existing fire hall, either.
Padoleski and Bieliski said the need for a addition on the fire hall is a big factor in why they want to declare the truck surplus and move to sell it. The expense to village taxpayers isn’t just the truck, but the addition as well.
They said the truck at $1.7 million and a million-dollar-plus addition will turn into about a $4 million expense with interest to be paid over 20 years.
“it’s not just the matter of the truck,” Padoleski said. “We have nowhere to put it. It’s the truck and the building.”
Captain Michael Young of the Medina Fire Department said the current fire hall was built for the Department of Public Works in the 1930s, with the fire department moving its base of operations there in the 1950s.
The entrance to the fire hall is on a pitch. Young said there aren’t used ladder trucks on the market that would fit in the fire hall. Medina’s 30-year-old truck was shorter and wider to allow the two inches of clearance. But most other ladder trucks are longer and would need at least 5 inches of clearance, he said.
The addition to the fire hall has been sought by the department since before the contract to buy the ladder truck was approved by the board in March 2023. The board at the time thought there would be enough time to work out an addition and also address deficiencies in the existing fire hall.
Mayor Sherman also said the costs of fire trucks were rapidly escalating and the board wanted to lock in a price. Since then the costs for similar ladder trucks have climbed about $800,000 to $2.5 million.
But the costs were high, an estimated $6 million. The board then scaled down the scope of the project to a one-bay addition at just over $1 million. The board – which has three new members in the past two years – has been unable to reach a consensus.
Bieliski said the village taxes are too high for many residents and businesses, and a 20-year commitment to a new ladder truck and addition doesn’t make sense for overtaxed property owners.
He said Medina is the only village in Orleans County with a paid fire department. He said there are many other needs in the village from water, sewer, streets and sidewalks.
“I don’t think this purchase was being a smart consumer,” Bieliski said about the ladder truck. “I think we have to think about Medina. We don’t have to be the leaders when it’s on the backs of the people of Medina.”
He said declaring the truck surplus puts the truck on “pause” and gives the village more time to look at other options.
If the village would take $300,000 to $400,000 loss on selling the new truck, Bieliski said he wouldn’t support that.
But he thinks there is buyer that would allow medina to make a profit that could go towards a quality used truck.
“Buying a new truck and new building is 100 percent wrong to do to the taxpayers,” he said.
The new ladder truck needs to some additional outfitting and could be ready to go into service around April 1. But Bieliski said he wants to hold off on putting the truck into service to maximize its value to a potential buyer.
Mayor Sherman said the difficulties with ladder truck and all the negative publicity have been “embarrassing” for the village.
She is hopeful the fire department will ultimately end up with a ladder truck, whether the new one or a good used truck, that is safe and allows them to serve the community.
Sherman said she continues to look for funding for the addition. She wanted to pursue a $1 million grant through the state’s Community Development Block Grant program, but couldn’t get a majority of the board to approve that application.
Press Release, NYS Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt
Photo courtesy of NYS Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt: Rob Ortt and Republican state senators in Albany on Monday presented a plan to reduce energy costs.
ALBANY – Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt along with Senator Mario Mattera, Senator Tom O’Mara, Senator Steve Chan, and members of the Senate Republican Conference today unveiled a package of legislation aimed at addressing New York’s outrageous energy costs and offsetting the effects of costly energy mandates out of Albany.
The legislative package, “Affordable Energy, Not Albany Mandates,” is part of the Senate Republican Conference’s broader 2026 legislative agenda entitled “Save New York,” a plan to improve affordability, enhance public safety, and build a stronger New York for today and future generations.
Several proposals in the legislative package would deliver immediate financial relief to New Yorkers by lowering utility bills.
“Just last week a newspaper article highlighted how more than 400,000 customers have had their gas or power cut because they can’t afford to pay their bills – numbers that are much higher than during the great recession,” said Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt. “This is completely unacceptable, and a direct result of Albany Democrats’ out-of-touch Green New Scam policies. The New York State legislature must start acting on behalf of all of our constituents, instead of passing feel-good policies that do nothing to save the planet and only serve to please radical environmentalists, while making the rest of the state suffer.”
New Yorkers are currently weathering some of the highest energy rates in the nation. Residential electricity rates in New York are 50% higher than the national average and rose 7.6% in the past year, faster than the national average. Since New York Democrats passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), electricity rates in New York have increased 45% – leading New Yorkers to pay 30-40% higher rates than our neighbors in Pennsylvania.
Among the goals of the legislative package are to provide immediate ratepayer relief, increase cost transparency, and repeal costly mandates:
Immediate Ratepayer Relief
S8461A (O’Mara) – Requires any surplus or unspent ratepayer funds remaining in NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Fund or any unspent funds collected by utilities be sent back to ratepayers as a bill credit. This bill would result in lowering New Yorkers utility bills by $2 billion at a time when New Yorkers are facing skyrocketing utility bills.
S8463 (Rolison) – Provides a one-year utility bill tax and surcharge holiday and two-year green energy tax holiday. Government taxes and fees account for between 25 to 50% of a customer’s utility bill. This bill would provide meaningful and immediate relief to ratepayers as they face skyrocketing energy costs.
S7075 (Walczyk) – Repeals the system benefit charge. The system benefit charge is a fee imposed on all ratepayers that provides money to NYSERDA and the PSC. Repealing such fees would lower utility bills.
Cost Transparency
S1031 (Rolison) – Directs the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Comptroller to determine the cost of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) mandates for each ratepayer and to establish a credit for ratepayers and businesses to cover those costs.
S1414 (Tedisco) – Enacts the Utility Ratepayer Protection Act, which requires legislative approval of increases in utility charges.
S5515 (Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick) – Relates to providing transparency to residential utility and municipality ratepayers on the cost impact of the climate action council’s scoping plan.
S5611 (Mattera) – Establishes the Climate Action Cost Council, which must meet quarterly and report on any CLCPA cost associated with any action taken by the Council.
S6412 (O’Mara) – Establishes the “Ratepayer Disclosure and Transparency Act,” which requires annual reporting on state mandated energy programs.
S6790 (Griffo) – Requires the superintendent of financial services to examine the Green Bank at least once every calendar year.
S8447 (Walczyk) – Requires a fiscal note when a bill enacts or amends a law impacting the cost of utility services.
S8936 (Rolison) – Increases transparency and accountability in utility billing by requiring all electric utility corporations, energy services companies, and municipalities to provide customers with a clear, itemized breakdown of their monthly bills.
Repeal Green Energy Mandates
S1167 (Mattera) – Repeals All Electric Buildings Act.
S3652 (Ortt) – Repeals the Electric Vehicle mandate.
S4748 (Borrello) – Repeals the zero-emission school bus mandate.
S8607 (Walczyk) – Repeals the $15 billion per year Cap-and-Invest program that will act as a tax on New York consumers.
S7710 (Chan) – Prohibits the construction of certain energy storage systems within five hundred feet of a school or dwelling in New York City.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 February 2026 at 4:05 pm
Aaron D’Angelo
ALBION – A Medina man was arraigned by Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church today for second-degree murder and attempted murder in the second-degree after one man was stabbed to death on Saturday and his brother seriously injured.
Aaron D’Angelo, 36, appeared before Judge Church at 11 a.m. to be arraigned. D’Angelo entered not guilty pleas and will be held in the county jail without bail. He is scheduled to appear in Shelby Town Court at 4 p.m. on March 3.
D’Angelo allegedly caused the death of Dale R. Lang, 65, who was pronounced deceased at his home, 4643 South Gravel Road (Route 63). His brother, John Lang, also was stabbed about 20 times. He is currently on a ventilator at Erie County Medical Center.
Orleans County District Attorney Susan Howard said the three men were at Dale Lang’s home when an argument started, and quickly escalated.
D’Angelo has no prior felonies. In November he was charged with strangulation, and then was charged with three counts of criminal contempt for violating an order of protection for the victim. Before November, he didn’t have a criminal history, Howard said.
In addition to the murder and attempted murder charges, D’Angelo also was arraigned for assault in the first degree, menacing a police officer and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported 911 disturbance at Dale Lang’s house on Route 63 on Saturday. John Lang made a 911 call at 11:55 a.m.
Upon arrival, a Sheriff’s deputy encountered D’Angelo, who was armed with a knife and confronted the deputy, Sheriff Chris Bourke said. The deputy deployed a Taser, successfully subduing D’Angelo, who was then taken into custody.
As additional personnel arrived on scene, Dale Lang and John Lang were discovered inside the residence with multiple stab wounds.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 February 2026 at 12:58 pm
MEDINA – The library will be off limits to the public after March 21 for about six weeks to allow contractors to work on the construction project that will not only put an addition o the library, but revamp the interior furnishings.
The $5.2 million construction project is behind schedule. Initially, the library building was expected to be closed for a few weeks.
Being closed for about six weeks will keep the project on schedule, Lee-Whedon officials posted today on the library’s social media.
The library will close at 5 p.m. on March 21, a Saturday, and then reopen at 10 a.m. on May 4, a Monday. The project is expected to be complete in July.
“This gives our construction crews unlimited access to the library and will expedite the process!!” Lee-Whedon stated on its Facebook page. “We appreciate your understanding and patience. We will all be rewarded with a beautiful, modern, spacious library in the end!!”
Lee-Whedon broke ground last Aug. 22 for a 4,785-square-foot addition on the back of the current library, which is 11,100 square feet.
The addition will create space for two meeting rooms, two tutoring rooms, a programming room with makerspace, Friends of the Library book sale room, a quiet research room, an art gallery, a teen room and 14 parking spots.
There will also be additional restrooms, a new circulation desk, a new entry portico with automatic sliding doors, about a 10 percent increase in the collection and upgraded technology.
The state is contributing nearly $1.7 million in New York State Public Library Construction Aid grants to the $5.2 million project. The community also has donated more than $500,000 to the expansion.
Backyard chickens, loom weaving, alternative home construction, woodworking and sourdough making among topics
Photos courtesy of Orleans County Master Gardeners: Master Gardener Eileen Sorochty talks about straw bale gardening at last year’s Homestead sampler event. Sorochty will be one of the panelists for the “Sustainability for the Home” class offered on Sept. 19.
Contributed by Lydia Fernandez, Master Gardener
KNOWLESVILLE – This month, the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners are launching the Homestead Educational Series, a set of monthly classes dedicated to self-sufficiency and sustainability. The series is open to adults interested in learning a variety of practical skills and approaches for the home. No experience is necessary.
Many of the classes provide hands-on learning opportunities. Topics include backyard chickens, loom weaving, alternative home construction, woodworking and sourdough making.
The first class in the series will be on Saturday, February 21st on “Rain Barrels and Water Storage.” Participants will be able to make their own rain barrels to take home. The full list of dates and topics is available by clicking here.
“This Homesteading series is for people to learn money-saving skills and build community,” says Kathy Contrino, co-chair of the Homesteading Educational Series committee.
Last year, the Master Gardeners hosted a day-long sampler on homesteading skills that drew a huge response.
“We now know the public interest is strong, and it was clear we needed a larger series to better serve our community,” Contrino said.
Fees for the classes vary and cover the cost of supplies for each project. Spots are limited, and advance registration is required in order to ensure enough materials for each participant.
“Today is the right time to re-introduce these skills,” says Eileen Sorochty, co-chair of the Homesteading Educational Series. “Hopefully through our series, we will pique more interest in such topics and offer future workshops that will be helpful to our community.”
The Homestead Educational classes take place at 10 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month in the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Education Center, 12690 State Route 31, Albion. To register, call (585) 798-4265 ext 125 or email klo54@cornell.edu.
Master Gardener and avid quilter Brenda Radzinski will be leading the class on “Naturally Made Fabric Dyes” on July 18.
ALBANY – Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday signed legislation that will allow medical aid in dying to be available to terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live.
This historic bill signing comes after careful reflection and deliberation with the sponsors of the bill, advocacy organizations, and everyday New Yorkers brave enough to share their personal experiences in order to get this legislation across the finish line.
“Our state will always stand firm in safeguarding New Yorkers’ freedoms and right to bodily autonomy, which includes the right for the terminally ill to peacefully and comfortably end their lives with dignity and compassion,” Governor Hochul said.
The bill, as passed by the Legislature originally included a number of protections in order to ensure that no patient was coerced into choosing medical aid in dying and that no health care professional or religiously affiliated health facility would be forced to offer medical aid in dying.
“This journey was deeply personal for me,” Hochul said. “Witnessing my mother’s suffering from ALS was an excruciating experience, knowing there was nothing I could do to alleviate the pain of someone I loved. It took years of intimate discussions with our bill sponsors, health experts, advocates, and most importantly, families who have similar firsthand experiences. New Yorkers deserve the choice to endure less suffering, not by shortening their lives, but by shortening their deaths — I firmly believe we made the right decision.”
The Governor worked with the Legislature to include additional guardrails that will make sure people won’t be taken advantage of, while still ensuring terminally ill New Yorkers have the choice to die comfortably and on their own terms, including:
A mandatory waiting period of 5 days between when a prescription is written and filled.
An oral request by the patient for medical aid in dying must be recorded by video or audio.
A mandatory mental health evaluation of the patient seeking medical aid in dying by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
A prohibition against anyone who may benefit financially from the death of a patient from being eligible to serve as a witness to the oral request or an interpreter for the patient.
Limiting the availability of medical aid in dying to New York residents.
Requiring that the initial evaluation of a patient by a physician be in person.
Allowing religiously-oriented home hospice providers to opt out of offering medical aid in dying.
Ensuring that a violation of the law is defined as professional misconduct under the Education Law.
Extending the effective date of the bill to six months after signing to allow the Department of Health to put into place regulations required to implement the law while also ensuring that health care facilities can properly prepare and train staff for compliance.
In December, the Governor joined the bill’s sponsors, supportive advocates and New Yorkers with lived experience at a press conference announcing the agreement reached with the Legislature to make medical aid in dying available to terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live.
Compassion & Choices Senior Campaign Director Corinne Carey said, “We are deeply grateful to Governor Hochul for listening to families navigating the realities of terminal illness, to our legislative champions for their steadfast leadership, and to the advocates — many of whom did not live to see this day — whose courage made this moment possible. This law is the result of more than a decade of steady, persistent advocacy by thousands of New Yorkers who shared deeply personal stories and helped move this conversation forward across our state. The Medical Aid in Dying Act affirms a simple but profound principle: that everyone deserves compassion and the freedom to make deeply personal decisions about their own body and their own care at the end of life.”
Photos and information courtesy of Medina Mustang Boosters: The varsity winter guard unit from Medina is shown during Saturday’s performance in Batavia.
BATAVIA – Medina’s winter guard units competed Saturday in Batavia, the fourth competition so far this season for Medina.
A total of 23 guards competed in various classifications. In the Cadet class, which included four guards in total, Medina’s JV guard took 2nd place with a score of 52.42.
Medina’s varsity guard competed in the A1 class and earned 2nd place with a score of 58.62.
Their next competitions are Feb. 28 in Lancaster, March 7 in Greece and Medina’s home show on March 14.
The junior varsity winter guard competed in the cadet class at Batavia.
Photos courtesy of Orleans County Music Educators Association: The Junior High All-County Band, led by guest conductor Brendon Bardo, performed four selections in the Holley Middle-High School Auditorium on Saturday afternoon.
Press Release, Orleans County Music Educators Association
HOLLEY – This past Friday and Saturday, Holley Middle-High School hosted the first of two All-County Festivals that the Orleans County Music Educators Association will sponsor this winter.
This month’s festival featured the Elementary All-County Chorus, Jr. High All-County Band, and the Sr. High All-County Chorus. To participate, students from the five school districts in Orleans County are recommended by their music teachers, who then set up a meeting to select the ensembles who perform at the two All-County Festivals.
The students spend nearly 8 hours rehearsing on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning before giving a concert on Saturday afternoon. This festival featured three guest conductors, one for each of the performing ensembles.
Ms. Jean-Marie Carroll, 6th grade Choir and General Music Teacher from Bay Trail Middle School in the Penfield School District, was the guest conductor for the Elementary All-County Choir.
Ms. Carroll led students in a diverse selection of works including: I’m Seein’ Things at Night – Gilpin, I Will Dream of You, Doraji – Donnelly & Strid, The Dream Keeper – Dilworth, and We Will – Papoulis. The choir was made up of 91 fifth- and sixth-grade students from Orleans County.
Mr. Brendon Bardo, 7-12 Band Director at the Akron School District, served as the guest conductor for the Jr. High All-County Band. Mr. Bardo and the band worked up four selections: Spania – Shaffer, A Kind and Gentle Soul – Swearingen, High Intensity – Wilson, The Great Locomotive Chase – Smith. The band featured 78 students from grades 7 to 9 from Orleans County.
Mr. James DesJardins, Choral Teacher from Frontier Central Schools and published music composer with Carl Fischer Music and Boosey & Hawkes, was the guest conductor for the Sr. High All-County Chorus.
Mr. DesJardins programmed four selections, including his own work: The Word Was Good – Powell, Eve Novum – Gjielo, The Heavens Are Telling – Haydn, Sawubona – DesJardins. The choir assembled 67 students in grades 10 to 12 from all over Orleans County.
The next OCMEA All-County Festival will be hosted in Medina on March 6th and 7th, featuring the Elementary All-County Band, Jr. High All-County Chorus, and the Sr. High All-County Band.
OCMEA will also be hosting a brand new “Night of Jazz” at Lyndonville Central Schools on Friday, April 24th. The evening will feature performances by Jazz Ensembles from all five Orleans County Schools, a Junior-Senior “All Star” Jazz Band, and an OCMEA Staff Jazz Ensemble. Admission will be free, although a suggested donation for the OCMEA Scholarship Fund will gladly be accepted, and refreshments will be provided in conjunction with Music and Band Boosters from across the County.
The OCMEA Scholarship Fund is available to all student musicians in Orleans County who are pursuing extracurricular music opportunities such as music camps, private lessons, community theatre opportunities, and more.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 February 2026 at 12:55 pm
Cold weather advisory in effect until 10 a.m. Monday
Photo by Tom Rivers: A sign for “Hope,” a road at Mount Albion Cemetery, is shown on Wednesday during a day in the deep freeze.
The area will get a much-needed reprieve from the deep freeze on Tuesday when the high is forecast to reach 36 degrees in Orleans County.
Today is only going to reach a high of 9 degrees with a wind chill at 10 below zero, according to the national Weather Service.
There is a cold weather advisory for Orleans County and much of Western New York until 10 a.m. on Monday with dangerously cold wind chills as low as 20 below zero.
The high will get up to 20 on Monday, then 36 on Tuesday, 30 on Wednesday, 25 on Thursday and 27 on Friday.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 8 February 2026 at 8:51 am
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Cindy Robinson, owner of The English Rose Tea Shoppe, pours Lovejoy wine from Chateau Buffalo for Ralph Primerano and Sue Squires.
Patrick Weissend, who has been the official ID checker for all of the Wine About Winter events, suits up at Medina Senior Center on Saturday in preparation for several hours of standing outside in near-zero temperatures as participants arrive.
MEDINA – Medina Area Partnership’s Wine About Winter has been a hit since the first one 16 years ago, and this year’s sub-zero temperatures did nothing to deter this one Saturday.
“We had a great turnout considering today’s weather,” said Ann Fisher-Bale, organizer of the event. “It was nearly perfect attendance. People bundled up and showed up for this yearly event.”
The event’s 800 tickets sold out two weeks ago, and while only a handful stayed home because of the cold, the majority showed up, dressed in snow pants, hooded coats, scarves, heated gloves and handwarmers, ready to visit the 25 participating businesses and organizations.
Ticket holders arrived at the Senior Center, where their identification was checked and they received a goodie bag with coupons, Chapstick, hand warmers, mini bottle of water, oyster crackers, a program and pen. Chapstick and handwarmers were a late-minute addition by Fisher-Bale when she learned what the weather would be. Also new this year was a Wine About Winter tee shirt, with all of MAP’s upcoming events printed on the back.
These include the Easter Bunny and Golden Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt on March 28; a Murder Mystery and Mocktails on May 2; the Enchanted Faery Festival on June 20; annual sidewalk sales Aug, 1; Ale in Autumn on Sept. 26; Beggar’s Night Oct. 30; Moonlight Madness on Nove. 19; Olde Tyme Christmas and Parade of Lights on Nov. 28; and Holiday Open Houses Dec. 3 through Dec. 6.
The shirts were made possible thanks to the generosity of 10 of our sponsors, Fisher-Bale said.
At The English Rose Tea Shoppe one participant had ice frozen on the bottom of his glass, just walking from Tapped on Main.
The English Rose Tea Shoppe’s owner Cindy Robinson poured Lovejoy, a rose from Chateau Buffalo. She was especially excited over the selection of wine as she grew up in the Lovejoy section of Buffalo, she said.
Ralph Primerano and Sue Squires both liked the wine. Squires, who has rarely missed a Wine About Winter, said she enjoyed the cream puffs served at the Medina Theater.
Patrick Weissend, left, checks the ID for friends Ryan and Jocelyn Arnold of Medina and Ricky and Anne Missell of Gasport. The couples were the first to arrive for check-in at the Medina Senior Center on Saturday for Wine About Winter.
Carol Bellack and Robin Wehling said the cold was not bad, as long as they kept stopping in a store every few minutes where it was warm.
They were happy with the wine choices they had tried so far.
“We’ve had a lot of white wines and I like white wine,” Wehling said.
She has only missed one Wine About Winter and has all the glasses to prove it.
Bob Arnold and his wife Marie Bell of Akron have attended all the Wine About Winter events, but one, he said.
A new feature this year was two snack stops – one at Medina Theater and the other at Author’s Note.
Another feature for the first time at Wine About Winter was a photo booth at Alexandra Peracciny Photography above Blissett’s on Main Street.
It is customary at these events to stagger the start times, to eliminate too much congestion in stores at one time. The first group started at 1 p.m., with the last group starting at 4 p.m.
The committee for organizing Wine About Winter are all set up and waiting for the arrival of the 800 who bought tickets for the event. From left are Mary Lewis, Ann Fisher-Bale, Laura Gardner and Wendy Wilson. The women have been involved in all 17 of the annual events.
Kristin Haines from Marjim Manor in Appleton pours Lady of the Manor wine at the Medina Historical Society for Kat Schepis of Medina. The wine had a little cranberry and a little berry, Haines said.
Wendy Wilson, left, and Ann Fisher-Bale wait to verify tickets with their cell phones, validating ticket holders at the Medina Senior Center for Wine About Winter on Saturday.
