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News for the week of
January 21, 2007

In Features:

Brockport looks at housing revitalization initiative
Brockport has done much to improve and maintain its historic downtown shopping area and Village of Brockport Trustee David Wagenhauser would like to see that historic feel and pride extended throughout the village. more

Brockport pastor retires
The Reverend Kenneth McCarthy, pastor of First Baptist Church in Brockport, will retire from the ministry following the worship service on Sunday, February 4. "Leadership lasts for a limited length of time," observed McCarthy. "It will be good for the congregation to work with someone else. That is an important part of the growth of churches." more

Brockport police chief talks budget numbers
With 92 percent of the budget out of his control, Brockport Police Chief Dan Varrenti told village officials that with the "eight percent that I can control, I have made cuts." more

Brockport property revitalization talks continue
Steps to revitalize the former Kleen Brite Laboratory property, including remediation, redevelopment and restoration, were discussed at the January 16 Village of Brockport board meeting. "The final outcome would result in having a viable, tax producing property," Trustee Hanny Heyen said during an update. more

Chili Public Library receives grant for computer up-grades
Assemblymember Susan John, 131st District, secured $50,000 for the Chili Public Library, allowing the library to purchase new computers and to upgrade Internet access for Chili residents. more

Community members asked to see possibilities
in Old Holley High School building

Once the lights went down, the only sound in the room was the voice of the narrator as he took audience members on a guided video-taped tour of the Old Holley High School. more

CWD seeks national accreditation
The Center for Workforce Development (CWD) at BOCES 2 in Gates is a candidate for accreditation by the Council on Occupational Education (COE), a national institutional accrediting agency and recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The mission of the council is, "assuring quality and integrity in career and technical education." more

DEC plans public meetings on plan to restore and
enhance Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River Fisheries
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has scheduled five public meetings to solicit comments on the draft "Sportfishing Restoration and Spending Plan" for the Lake Ontario system. more

Extension Board elects officers, invite input
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County's Board of Directors held an election of officers at their first meeting of the year on January 8. Andrew J. Wormuth of Elba was elected board president for the fourth consecutive year. more

Hilton native ranked a national champion
Cadet 1st Class (senior) Michael Bush, a Hilton native, played a major role to help his team win the National Collegiate Parachuting Championships at Lake Wales, Florida, December 27 to January 1. more

Holley man recognized for service
Jack Curtis, of Holley, received the Orleans County Fire Police Association's Fire Police Award of the Year 2006. He served as vice president of Monroe and president of Orleans County Fire Police Association. more

Monte Carlo fundraiser for Trolley Depot Feb. 17
If all goes according to plan, the trolley depot in the Village of Spencerport will be "open for business" in early May. "We're hoping to coordinate the depot's opening with the opening of the Erie Canal," Village Clerk Jackie Sullivan, who is the project liaison, said. more

Orleans County 4-Hers make Valentines
for military service personnel
On Saturday, January 6, Orleans County 4-H members gathered to participate in a community service project to create Valentine's Day cards for United States Armed Forces men and women. This is the 11th year that Orleans County 4-H has participated in this community service project. more

Practice burn
The abandoned Bauch barn on Clover Street in Hamlin was donated by Wayne Bauch to the Hamlin Fire Department for disposal. The controlled burn was scheduled for Saturday, January 13; a cold morning with a slight wind from the northwest and just a touch of snow-rain in the air; perfect conditions for burning the barn down with little risk of damage to any other building or trees. more

Youth Recognition Banquet in Orleans County planned
For the 25th year, the Orleans County Youth Board will let the community know just how outstanding its local citizens are. The 25th Annual Youth Recognition Banquet will be held on Wednesday, May 9 as a way to thank selected individuals for their service to the community. more


In Briefly:

County executive to visit Hamlin Republican committee meeting
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks will participate in the Hamlin Republican Committee's meeting on Tuesday, January 23 at 7 p.m. more

Scout troop honored
The Gates-Chili Rotary Club held its Christmas party to honor Boy Scout Troop 327. The Rotary Club founded this Boy Scout Troop in 1971 and has continued to provide sponsorship and support. It was the special project of Rotarian Reg Brant who continued his involvement with the troop until his death last year. more


Politically Speaking:

Clarkson Republicans seeking candidates
The Town of Clarkson Republican Committee is accepting letters of intent from registered Clarkson Republicans for consideration of candidacy for the November 2007 general election. more

Senator lands seats on finance and judiciary panels
State Senator George Maziarz (62nd District) will serve as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which plays a critical role in reviewing and negotiating the state budget, and the Senate Judiciary Committee, which screens judicial nominations to the New York State Court of Appeals and oversees legislation affecting the state's judicial system. more


In Schools:

Area high school students getting jump start on college
College can be a big leap for some, but for more than 130 students at area high schools, it should be an easy transition. Those high school students are taking college courses with enough credits to be considered full-time freshmen at Genesee Community College. more

Byron-Bergen district sets kindergarten registration
Children who will be five years of age on or before December 1, 2007, are eligible for entrance to kindergarten in the Byron-Bergen School District in September 2007. New families in the district should notify the school if they have a child that will enter kindergarten next September. more

GCC Student Union receives American Institute of Architects award
The Eastern New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects conferred an AIA (American Institute of Architects) design award on Genesee Community College's Wolcott J. Humphrey III Student Union, which opened a year ago. more

GCC to expand college village
Genesee Community College Foundation will expand College Village, Genesee Community College's student residence. The expansion, which will consist of three new buildings and renovation of a fourth, will provide housing for 79 more students, bringing College Village occupancy to about 380. more

GCC website ranks number two in national standing
The National Research Center for College and University Admissions ranked Genesee Community College's Admissions website number two among community college admissions websites across the nation. Brigham Young University, which operates a community college in Idaho, received the number one ranking. more

Geography Bee tests B-B students' skills
Byron-Bergen Middle School students participated in the National Geographic Society's Geography Bee. Based on a written test taken last December students were asked to participate in our annual school level Geography Bee. On January 5, all participants answered questions in the preliminary rounds. more

Hilton High School holds semi-annual Fashion Show
Hilton High School’s Fashion and Clothing students presented their semi-annual Fashion Show on January 10. Students design and sew the fashions they wear on the runway. The clothing and presentation were judged by a panel of four teachers and a number of the 22 participants won gift certificates for a variety of products and services. more

Hilton instrumental students to participate in RWC Honors Band Festival
Eleven Hilton High School instrumental music students will participate in the Roberts Wesleyan College Honors Band Festival. The students are members of the High School Symphonic Band or Wind Ensemble. more

Students capture "My Favorite Place"
The Brockport Central PTSA hosted a reception on November 30 for the National PTA Reflections Program. Entries were received from 133 elementary students in grades K-5. The visual arts, literature, and photography categories were represented using the theme "My Favorite Place." more


In Sports:

Local gymnasts win at Graffiti Invitational
The Bright Raven Gymnastics girl's teams performed well at the 12th annual Graffiti Invitational held at the Convention Center in Niagara Falls in January. more

Rangers win 10th consecutive Barnard
Spencerport sent ten of their fifteen wrestlers into the semi-finals, six into the finals and crowned four class champions on their way to their tenth consecutive and 19th overall Clayton Barnard Memorial Wrestling Tournament held at Hilton. In total, 18 teams competed. more

Spencerport names girls varsity track and field coach
Seth Blodgett has been named as the Spencerport Rangers new varsity girls track & field coach. Blodgett is a graduate of Roberts Wesleyan College and was an outstanding track and cross country student-athlete at Hilton High School. more

Spencerport Rangers basketball teams and
cheerleaders donate to American Cancer Society

Spencerport Central Schools, along with sponsors of Wendy's Restaurants of Rochester, Lamont's Awards and Apparel and the American Cancer Society, hosted its 10th annual Coaches vs Cancer Boys Basketball Tournament on December 1 and 2 and the 16th Annual Coach Chow Classic on December 27 and 28 at Spencerport High School. more