News for the week of
May 30, 2004

In Features:

Adopt-a-Trail volunteers celebrate with flag relay
An all-volunteer Canalway Trail group in Monroe County is making plans for celebration of a major achievement. A pilot Adopt-a-Trail program was started about three years ago in Fairport and Perinton, and now involves volunteers in Monroe County communities all along the Erie Canal. more

Area weathers the thunder storms, begins clean up
With more than five inches of rain falling over the May 22 to 24 weekend, area residents have had to deal with flooded basements and back yards, downed power lines and flooded roadways. more

Community theater group forming in Ogden
An informational meeting for everyone interested in starting a community theater for the Ogden/Spencerport area is set for Monday, June 7. The meeting will be in room 15-17 in the Spencerport School district offices at 71 Lyell Avenue. more

Employee of the year chosen
Will Reynolds, Senior Maintenance Mechanic for Physical Plant Services of Lakeside Health System, has been selected as the Robert W. Harris 2004 Employee of the Year. "Will has assisted in many renovations over the years and has done a great job. more

Local man elected VP of statewide Lions group
James Schiebel was elected third vice president of the New York State and Bermuda Lions Past District Governors Organization at the 81st State Lions Convention held in Lake Placid. The organization is responsible for much of the leadership training done across the state. more

'Ride with Eagles' to stop in Hamlin
Memorial Day in Hamlin will see more activity than it normally does when between 2,000 and 3,000 motorcycles wheel into town. For the past several years, the Vietnam Veterans Association has had a motorcycle run on Memorial Day to raise money to purchase "quality of life" items for veterans in need. more

Science experiment calls on trendy diet
The annual Science Fair is generally the time for projects like "how fast do various brands of ice cream melt" or "if you put baking soda and vinegar together can you make it explode?" But this year's Brockport Middle School's Science Fair had an entry that was both challenging and unique and it was no surprise that Jacob Gaskill was the boy to do it. more

SPOC wins landfill lawsuit
It wasn't entirely what they had hoped for, but in a recent court decision, two Orleans County environmental groups received at least 75 percent of what they were fighting for. more

In Briefly:

Engine 55 Restoration Campaign
The Hamlin area campaign to raise contributions to restore "Old Engine 55" is off to a great start with current contributions totaling over $10,000. The Engine 55 Club, sponsors of this fundraising event, is pleased with the results to date. more

Hamlin youth need help with food collection
The Hamlin Youth Group will be collecting non-perishable canned goods during the month of June. They will be building a structure out of the items collected at the "Cool Kids Can-imals on Parade," Friday, July 9 in Brockport. more

"Picnic in the Park" Sunday, July 4th in Batavia
The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council's 26th annual family event "Picnic in the Park" is set for noon until 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 4 at Centennial Park on Richmond Avenue in Batavia. more

Retirement picnic planned for Ken Olson
Ogden Police Officer Ken Olson retired on March 30 after 20 years on the force. On Saturday, June 26, an official Retirement Pig Roast will be held in his honor. more

Spencerport kicks off Gazebo Concert series
The Village of Spencerport's "Music on the Canal Concert Series" begins Sunday, June 6, 2004 with a performance from Essential Soul (who are a five member group from the Spencerport High School Jazz Band) from 4 to 5 p.m. followed by a local performer Johnny Bauer and Great Escape from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. more

Politically Speaking:

Budget reform passes state Assembly
Assemblymember Susan John (D-Rochester/ Chili/Wheatland/Rush/Riga) has reported that the Assembly passed legislation that would greatly improve the efficiency of the state's budget pro-cess. The reforms require a constitutional amendment, and as such must be approved by the Legislature two years in a row before being turned over to the people for final say in November 2005. A second bill must be passed by the Legislature to put the plan into effect. more

"Jilly's Law" measure expands criteria for bail denial
The NYS Senate passed legislation known as "Jilly's Law," which was introduced and sponsored by George Maziarz, 62nd District. This measure would allow New York state courts to consider a broader scope of criteria when setting bail for a defendant. more

In Schools:

Area students inducted into
National Technical Honor Society
Twenty-seven area students attending the WE-MO-CO Career and Technical Education Center, were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society at a ceremony at Monroe 2 Orleans BOCES on May 20. more

Brockport Senior awarded scholarship from alum
Senior Anastasia Pennington has had a special interest in women's issues for most of her life. She credits her membership in the Girl Scouts for 13 years for giving her opportunities to work with and learn from many different kinds of women. more

Essay contest winners chosen
Catholic Daughters Court Nativity #931 Brockport held its annual Essay Contest. The topics were: "Let Freedom Ring" and "The Spirit Dwells Among Us." more

"Friends of Education" honored by Hilton School Board
The Hilton Central School District Board of Education recognized thirteen "friends of education" at its May 11 meeting, citing the many ways they have contributed to the welfare of the Hilton students and their education. more

Hilton High School Jazz Ensemble to play
at Rochester International Jazz Festival
On Saturday, June 5 at the stage on Gibbs Street and East Avenue, musical lovers can catch the Hilton High School Jazz Ensemble playing as part of the Rochester International Jazz Festival. more

Hilton's Northwood Elementary School
Advanced Band competes
May 22 at the Darien Lake Music Festival earning a second place. The 85-member band is composed of fifth and sixth graders. Shown above are Nathan Faulkner and Christina Wyant. Their director is Tim Stodd (right). more

Holley students' art selected in statewide contest
Artwork by six Holley Elementary students has been selected to be part of the 2004 Disabilities Awareness Art Contest Exhibit at the NYS Empire State Plaza in Schenectady from June 7-13. A judging panel selected the artwork from thousands of entries submitted by students across the state. more

Play production part of therapeutic program
BOCES 2 students in Deb Bennett's class at Fairbanks Road School presented the play "The Wizard of Oz" to a packed house of parents, administration and staff at the BOCES 2 Education Services Center in Spencerport. more

Students enhance planters
Students in the Work Activities Center at BOCES 2 in Spencerport created 23 baskets of flowers to be placed in planters throughout the Village of Spencerport. The baskets contained geraniums and vinca plants. more

Support group for parents forming in Spencerport
A new support group designed to help parents share parenting strategies is being formed at the Family Support Center at Spencerport Central School. The program, Better Days Ahead, is a joint effort of the Family Support Center and the Mental Health Association. The free program is open to all families in the area, not just Spencerport residents. more

In Sports:

Bright Raven gymnasts medal at States
The Bright Raven Gymnastics girls and boys teams made a fine showing at their respective state championships during the past month. more

Golden Eagles in D3 World Series
Barely one week ago, Brockport was on its way to their first ever NCAA baseball playoff appearance. Three games later, they are headed to Appleton, Wisconsin as one of eight teams from around the country in the NCAA Division III College World Series. more

Hilton-Parma Recreation hosts golf tourney
Hilton-Parma Recreation will host a golf tournament on Saturday, June 26 at Brockport Country Club beginning at noon with a putting contest and a 1 p.m. shot-gun start. The format will be a four person scramble. more

Softball teams are now forming
The Hilton-Parma Recreation Department is now forming teams for the Summer Girls Softball Program. The program is open to girls 7-16 years of age who live in the Town of Parma or attend the Hilton School District. more

Youth Fishing Derby at Iroquois National
Wildlife Refuge and Jamboree returns
To celebrate National Fishing and Boating Week, Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is sponsoring its 15th Annual Youth Fishing Derby, on Saturday, June 5 at Ringneck Marsh, off Oak Orchard Ridge Road. The free event is open to youths 17 years old and under, no experience necessary. An awards ceremony and door prize drawing will follow. more

Youth soccer day camp planned in Brockport
Lake Placid Soccer Centre will conduct a youth soccer instructional soccer day camp at the Brockport Fields complex in conjunction with the Brockport youth soccer club. more