News for the week of February 19, 2001
News for the week of
February 19, 2001

In Features:

Brockport Police Department investigated
The Monroe County Sheriff Department’s Office of Professional Standards is investigating accusations made against members of the Brockport Police Department. The nature of the accusations has not been made public at this time, and will not be, unless criminal charges are filed against one of the department’s officers, according to Brockport Village Attorney Roy Heise. more

Governor's proposed budget cuts Medicaid funding
The Governor's proposed budget cuts $327 million in Medicaid funding, according to Assemblymember Susan John (131st District). more

Graduate of cosmetology program heads to international trials
Kisha James may have graduated from the Cosmetology program at Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES Career and Technical Education Center less than two years ago, but already she is on her way to becoming a well-known cosmetologist. Now employed by Hair Embassy Salon in Rochester, James will be competing in the Skills USA/Vocational and Industrial Clubs of America (VICA) International Trials at the Midwest Beauty Show in Chicago February 22-24. more

Hamlin native dresses celebrities
When Kami Speer learned to sew, she learned the way many young girls do – under the guiding hands of her grandmother, Mildred Speer. Her skill and interest quickly surpassed that of the average teen as she designed and sewed her own prom dresses in high school. more

Hands across the school
At Holley Elementary School, the adults don't mind if students leave their hand prints on the wall. In fact, it's an honor! Students caught displaying good character traits are recognized by having their hand prints and names put on a special wall. "Building Character - Hand in Hand" is the title of program that recognizes students for displaying such traits as respect, responsibility, caring and trustworthiness. more

Hilton High School Alumni Hall of Fame calls for nominations
Hilton High School Alumni Hall of Fame has issued its call for nominations for the 2001 induction to be held this June. Nominations are due March 30. Nominees must have graduated 15 years ago: class of 1986 or before. The first Hilton High School Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 1999 and eight alumni were selected from a field of 25 nominees. more

Holley to celebrate sesquicentennial
Holley, a village with a rich history, will be celebrating the 150th year of its incorporation this year. While the anniversary celebration will not take place until August 4, festival chairmen will be hosting a fundraising spaghetti dinner at St. Mary's Social Center, South Main Street on March 10. more

Local volunteers attend Fresh Air Fund conference
Nearly 300 local Fresh Air Fund volunteers, including Karen Woodard, Northwestern New York Fund Representative, Mary Neusatz, Hilton Chairperson and Mark Rennard, Batavia Chairperson, gathered recently in New York City for The Fund's annual Friendly Town conference. Each summer, nearly 6,000 disadvantaged children, ages six to 18, enjoy free two-week vacations with volunteer host families in suburban and small-town communities. more

Lower mortgage interest rates offer money-saving opportunities
Mortgage interest rates, which recently reached their lowest level in 21 months, have caught the attention of homeowners. Of all consumers applying for home financing today, nearly seven out of every 10 are existing homeowners seeking a refinance, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association of America. more

Lower SONYMA interest rates available
Governor George E. Pataki has announced that SONYMA has reduced the interest rate on its popular Low Interest Rate Mortgage Program from 6.5 percent to 5.75 percent and also reduced the points charges to borrowers from 2.0 to 1.75. more

Ogden CASE Commission accepts library report
Ogden Supervisor Gay Lenhard accepted the completed report on the Ogden Farmers' Library from the CASE Commission at their last meeting. This was a department that requested a review and received positive comments from members of the commission. The staff was congratulated for their dedication, remarkable interest and commitment to the Town of Ogden. They were praised for their ingenuity and creativity in providing up-to-date services within the confines of a moderate budget, according to Lenhard. more

RPO to present pops concert at SUNY Brockport
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Jeff Tyzik, will jump, jive and wail in a RPO pops concert evening of swing Wednesday, March 7. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Tower Fine Arts Center, Holley Street. Tickets cost $10 general, $7 seniors and SUNY Brockport faculty, and $5 for students. Tickets are available at the Tower Fine Arts Center Box Office, 395-ARTS. more

RWCCO hosts auction and dinner
On Saturday, March 3, the Roberts Wesleyan College-Community Orchestra sponsors one of its popular activities - the annual auction and lasagna dinner. This year, Glenn Lawrence from the Harris Wilcox Auctioneers, will be joined by a celebrity auctioneer, Liz Bonis, the "Medical Edge" reporter for WOKR-TV (Channel 13). more

RWCCO plays "Masterful Music" for Spring Concert
The Roberts Wesleyan College-Community Orchestra has scheduled its spring concert, Masterful Music for Thursday, March 1 at 8 p.m. in the Roberts Cultural Life Center. The featured music will be Mozart's "Jupiter" symphony, Tchaikovsky's "Capriccio Italien," and Grieg's "Piano Concerto." more

Wellness Center managers work on
community health information
A dedicated staff of just three people manage the Daisy Marquis Jones Family Wellness Center. Under the direction of Carolyn Vacanti, VP of Patient Services, these women work to bring the community current health information and support groups of all kinds. Delia Bove, Colleen Coltoniak and Sarah Thornton work a variety of hours to ensure community needs are met. Classes, support groups and community outreach programs are offered continually throughout the year. more

Will Brockport make its case against former industries?
While residents of Oxford and Lyman Streets in the village of Brockport have battled for years to get their complaints about pollution by former industries acknowledged and remedied, a Sunday morning visit by Environmental Attorney Ed Masry raised the cry loud enough to be heard across the state. more

In Briefly:

ABC Quilting Party VIII invites sewers
Area sewers are invited to an ABC Quilting Party Saturday, February 24 at the United Methodist Church of North Chili, 2200 Westside Drive at Buffalo Road from 9 a.m. to noon. more

Bands needed for Chil-"E" Festival parade
The Town of Chili will be holding their 12th annual Chil-"E" Festival July 19 to July 22. The town is looking for available bands and fill groups to participate in the parade scheduled for Saturday, July 21 at 7 p.m. more

Brockport's Agrilink expands
Agrilink Foods, the processing and marketing agricultural cooperative located on Brockport's east side, is expanding their storage and packaging facilities. The company confirmed this week that they plan to occupy increased freezer space, as much as 90,000 square feet, as soon as it is available. The new warehouse is to be built by Allied Builders, Inc., also of Brockport. Construction is set to begin in March. more

Humane Society offers reward
Rusty, the dog, is a young lab mix. He was discovered along the road in the Town of Parma by a good Samaritan who contacted animal control to help. Animal Control Officer Art Fritz, Jr. responded to the scene where he found a trail of blood and the injured dog lying in a ditch in the snow. He immediately took the dog for examination at the Apple Country Veterinary Hospital. more

Painting donated to Seymour Library
The Seymour Library has accepted the donation of a painting from local artist Lon Horton. The new painting is on display in the Children's Room and features many familiar characters from children's literature from across the decades. more

Public input sought for county capital improvement program
The Monroe County Planning Board will hold three information meetings on the county's proposed Capital Improvement Program for 2002-2007. The scheudle of meetings, which all government officials and the general public are invited to attend, is as follows: Tuesday, February 27 at 7 p.m. at the Perinton Town Hall; Wednesday, February 28, at 7 p.m. at the City of Rochester Council Chambers; and Thursday, March 1, at 7 p.m. at the Chili Town Hall, 3333 Chili Avenue. more

Republican majority proposes Monroe County redistricting meetings
The Republican Majority of the Monroe County Legislature will propose a series of public input meetings regarding the drawing of new County Legislature district boundaries. The Republican proposal calls on the Legislative District Revision Commission to hold three public meetings throughout Monroe County before April 1, the date Census figures are expected to be released. more

Rochester hosts MS walk April 1
The annual MS Walk in Rochester is slated for Sunday, April 1. The 2001 MS Walk begins at 9 a.m. (registration starts at 8 a.m.) at the Al Sigl Center (door 1). Participants can choose to walk an approximate accessible three-mile or approximate 10-mile route, which winds through the city and returns back to the Al Sigl Center. Rest stops will offer snacks and beverages along the route. more

In Schools:

New scholarships established
The Culinary Arts Department at Alfred State College's School of Vocational Technology, Wellsville, has announced the inception of several new scholarships, the first of which will be awarded for the first time in fall 2001. more

Richard Villa to talk about inclusive classrooms
Parents and teachers are invited to a presentation on effective ways to help all children achieve high standards in an inclusive classroom. Richard Villa, the author of Creating an Inclusive School, will speak at Spencerport's Cosgrove Middle School Thursday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. more

Students make a splash with cardboard boat assignment
Spencerport high school teacher Dave Walsh gave his students what he hoped would be a watertight assignment - and for most, it was. The 16 students in Walsh's Principles of Engineering class had to make and then race cardboard boats as part of the structures unit. more

Technology topic of C-C Community Dialogue Committee meeting
Churchville-Chili School District residents are invited to attend the February 26 meeting of the Community Dialogue Committee. The focus of the meeting will be C-C's technology standards. At the meeting, students and faculty will present information about the implementation of the district's recently adopted technology standards. Initiatives at various grade levels will be shared. more

What makes a dinosaur a dinosaur?
A group of second- and third-grade students at Holley Elementary School took on one of their favorite topics at a recent Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES Explorations workshop. more

In Seniors:

Financial seminar for soon-to-be retirees offered at GCC
Retirees and individuals thinking about retiring within the next ten years are invited to participate in Genesee Community College's "Financial Strategies for Successful Retirement" seminar, which will be offered in three locations within the next two months. more

Surplus food distribution scheduled in Chili
There will be a government donated surplus food distribution for Chili residents at the First Baptist Church in Chili, 3182 Chili Avenue, from 1 to 4 p.m. on February 26, for those who qualify. more

In Sports:

Athletes named to All-Northeast Soccer team
SUNY College at Brockport sophomore forward Mark Maleski (Hamlin/Brockport) has been named to the All-Northeast soccer team presented by NSCAA/Adidas. Maleski was a second-team selection earlier this season. more

Brockport names baseball assistant coaches
SUNY College at Brockport has named Mike Ferreri and Kevin Whelehan assistant baseball coaches following their four-year careers as members of the baseball team. more

Brockport volleyball finishes #2
The Brockport Blue Devils girls volleyball team defeated Greece Arcadia in three straight games 15-6, 16-14 and 15-13 in the Section V semi-finals at Roberts Wesleyan February 6. With the victory, they advanced to the sectional final February 8, where they lost to Webster for the third time this season 15-12, 15-12, and 17-15. more

Churchville-Chili High School gets new scorers' table
Thanks to the generosity of the C-C Sports Boosters Club, there is a new scorers' table at high school athletic events. The new table is portable, visually easy to read and sports the team's mascot, the "Saint." more

Churchville-Chili hockey team
supports breast cancer coalition
The Churchville-Chili hockey team has donated $754 to the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester. For the past two years, the team has sold breast cancer ribbons to raise money for the organization. more

Hilton Varsity Cheerleaders win Sectional Championship
Hilton High School's Varsity Cheerleading squad earned 335 out of 345 points to take the Section V Division AA Cheerleading Championship February 3 at the Blue Cross Arena. more

Holley Wrestling Club begins Feb. 26
The Holley Wrestling Club will begin on Monday, February 26 at the Holley Elementary School, for any Holley Central School District students in grades K-8. This club will be directed by John J. Grillo, the head wrestling coach, along with several Holley Club coaches and members of the high school team. The club is sponsored by the Holley Recreation Department. more

MCC hosts Bass Fishing Institute
Monroe Community College will host the Bass Fishing Techniques Institute, March 10 and 11, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Brighton campus, 1000 East Henrietta Road, building 5, room 300. more

Saints clinch first ever division title
The Churchville-Chili girl's basketball team defeated Spencerport 67-46 February 6 and clinched the first title in the 26-year history of the program. more

Spencerport Youth Wresting Tournament
When people talk about area high school sports teams, one that is often spoken about with great pride is the varsity wrestling team at Spencerport. The wrestlers command a certain level of respect when they walk by in our small town community. more