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Le Roy

Le Roy's American Legion post cancels annual Memorial Day Parade

By Billie Owens

From the Commander of the American Legion Botts-Fiorito Post #576, Le Roy:

It is with a deep sense of regret that the Commander and Post members announce the cancellation of the 2020 Annual Memorial Day Parade, originally scheduled for May 25.

Due to social uncertainty surrounding this date, it is felt that it is in the best interest of the safety and well-being of all involved to cancel the celebration at this time.

This decision did not come lightly, nor without the consideration of the involvement of so many individuals, organizations, and entertainment providers.

The Post members are developing a simple, but significant program that will serve to observe the holiday that was created to honor the many American men and women who died in military service.

We, like several other organizations in the area are taking this same action. There is just too much uncertainty and risk at this point (due to the coronavirus pandemic), and not enough confidence that to continue with the program would be in the best interest of all involved.

Oatka Festival in Le Roy is cancelled this year due to COVID-19

By Billie Owens

Press release:

The 2020 Oatka Festival in Le Roy has been cancelled for this year.

Due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, the need for social distancing, and our concern for the health of the community, vendors, volunteers, and attendees we have decided to cancel the Oatka Festival for 2020.

We are in the process of contacting vendors and those who have donated.

Next year’s Oatka Festival is scheduled for July 17 and 18, 2021.

Thank you,

Committee of Oatka Festival

Rotary Club of Le Roy establishes 'Rotary Community Reinvestment Fund' to help ease impact of COVID-19

By Billie Owens

From the Rotary Club of Le Roy:

It is the Rotary International vision statement that perhaps says it best “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

Rotarians are a collection of people of action, and we share a strong sense of purpose. In troubled times such as these, Rotarians will rise and meet the needs of their community and the world. It is with that sense of purpose that the Rotary Club of Le Roy has begun the “Rotary Community Reinvestment Fund.”

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt across the globe, but signs of the effects can be seen in our community. In the interest of public safety, nonessential local businesses have been forced to close.

The impact of these closures may not be evident to the naked eye, but the ramifications are impacting our friends and neighbors who own these businesses. As both state and national levels begin to restart the economy, those same businesses that have supported Le Royans in the past will need our support more than ever.

The Community Reinvestment Fund will take donations made by local individuals and families, and direct them to the Le Roy businesses most in need. The Rotary Club of Le Roy, which has served the community for more than 75 years, will oversee the collection and distribution of funds.

There will be a short application for businesses to complete, and a committee of Rotarians will review the applications and submit approved applications to the Board of Directors. The form is available on our website. Fellow Rotarians and their families are not eligible to receive funds through this process.

Individuals or businesses interested in supporting our community can make contributions by mailing a check to: Rotary Club of Le Roy, Attn.: Community Reinvestment Fund, P.O. Box 141, Le Roy, NY 14482.

Any questions can be directed to Jim Ellison (717) 503-5749, or:   jdellison@gmail.com 

Rotary Club of Le Roy apologizes for 'Easter Egg Drive-thru' plan, and thanks supporters

By Billie Owens

From the Rotary Club of Le Roy:

The membership of the Rotary Club of Le Roy felt that Easter is traditionally a holiday and season of hope for many, and anticipated that the continuation “Easter Egg Drive-thru” would boost the spirits of the community in a time of global despair.

The annual tradition of the Le Roy Easter Egg Hunt began nearly 30 years ago. Traditionally, the Easter Egg Hunt is held the Saturday prior to Easter at Le Roy Central School’s Hartwood Park.

This year’s adapted event of the egg drive-thru was scheduled to take place on April 11th at the village’s Trigon Park, which was deemed able to handle the expected traffic safely. Rotary had worked with the Village of Le Roy Board, and Police and devised a plan that worked within the guidelines of both the CDC and New York State to distribute the 8,000 candy stuffed eggs.

Shortly before 8 a.m. the morning of the event, the club's President Mary Young received a call from Le Roy Village Police Sergeant Greg Kellogg, advising that the day's event should be canceled.

Kellogg had received a phone call complaint with concern about the Easter Egg Drive-thru as his shift began at 6 a.m. Kellogg informed the club that this was the first and only complaint the department had received. Upon receiving the complaint, Kellogg then reached out to officials at the Genesee County Health Department.

After conferring, the health department determined that the event should not be held (due to social-distancing protocols prompted by the coronavirus pandemic).

On Monday, April 13th, the club reached out to the Genesee County Health Department for clarification. Sarah Balduf, Environmental Health director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments, responded via email.

In the email response, she stated [I based my decision on Governor Cuomo's "New York State on PAUSE" Executive Order: Specifically, points 2 and 3 of his 10-point plan: 2-Nonessential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason (e.g., parties, celebrations or other social events) are canceled or postponed at this time; 3-Any concentration of individuals outside their home must be limited to workers providing essential services, and social distancing should be practiced.]

The Rotary of Club of Le Roy would like to apologize to those agencies and individuals affected by the decision of the club to hold and then cancel the event. It was not the club’s intention to break any or part of Governor Cuomo’s executive order but to promote hope and goodwill in the community.

The club would like to thank the Le Roy businesses and organizations that contributed and sponsored the project. Also, the club would like to thank Mayor Rogers and the Village Board for supporting the event.

The Rotary Club of Le Roy wants to assure the community that the candy will be safely stored until a time when the candy can be carefully distributed.

Tops enlists more employees' help to keep up with increased demand in online ordering via Instacart

By Billie Owens

Press release:

During these unprecedented times when the directive is to stay at home and to limit your interaction with others, the demand for both curbside pick up as well as home delivery has seen a sudden spike.

In fact, since the onset of COVID-19 impacted our nation, services like Instacart saw longer wait times than usual, noting order volumes increased by 300 percent last week alone compared to the same period the previous year.

Recognizing the impact to these services on its own customers, Tops began working closer with its partner Instacart to monitor the situation and increase the number of options to lighten the impact.

A number of measures were put into place early on to help alleviate the wait times including:

  • Expanding the hours in which its Instacart employees (known as “shoppers”) can shop Tops stores, allowing them to more readily fulfill the orders being received;
  • Continuously hiring and on-boarding thousands of new shoppers each week.

Additionally to help with the high demand for online orders, Tops own associates began picking online orders to assist Instacart shoppers in a pilot store yesterday, Thursday, April 16, with more stores immediately to follow.  

Vice President of Instacart Care, Mark Killick, said "Over the course of the last few weeks, the customer demand for our service, and the sheer number of shoppers on our platform has surged in the wake of COVID-19. In my 38 years in the customer support industry, I’ve never seen anything quite like this.

"From a Care operations perspective, most natural disasters and emergencies are high stakes, sudden but localized. In contrast, COVID-19 is affecting every one of us over a sustained period of time, and, as a result, we’ve had to reimagine and rescale our Care operations overnight to best serve customers and shoppers across North America."

Due to the pandemic, Instacart has become an essential service for millions of people in the United States and Canada who are depending on the platform to safely, reliably, and affordably get the groceries and household goods they need in a contactless manner.

Over the past few weeks, Instacart has launched new features to help minimize friction and increase safety and convenience for employees and customers including:

  • An employee Safety Center to provide masks, hand sanitizer and thermometers at no cost;
  • “Leave at My Door” default option for contact-less customer delivery;
  • Fast and flexible option where customers receive an estimated delivery window and are notified when a shopper starts to work on their order ;
  • Extended the ordering window from 7 days to 14 days;
  • Evolving their Help Center and significantly increasing their number of agents.

"The last few weeks have been busier than we’ve ever imagined and our Tops team, along with Instacart, are working around the clock to serve all of our customers in this time of need,” said Ed Rick, director of digital and e-commerce for Tops.

“We will continue to be here for them and do everything we can to make their experience with us a positive one.”

Tops Markets thank essential workers with a cup of coffee or handcrafted drink at half price

By Billie Owens

Press release:

During these unprecedented times all Tops Friendly Markets locations are raising a cup of kindness as a way to say thank you to essential workers at all of its 162 locations in New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania.

From now until June 13, Tops is offering all essential workers a 50-percent discount on any single-serve coffee or handcrafted beverage at any of its locations.

“We can’t thank these dedicated men and women enough for their tireless efforts,” said Karri Zwirlein, director of bakery, deli, & prepared foods for Tops Friendly Markets. “Raising a cup of kindness is just our small token of appreciation for all they are doing each and every day to keep our communities safe.”

The discount is being given in good faith (no I.D. required) and is applicable to all first responders, healthcare workers, frontline personnel, and essential workers.

Tops to provide American-made cloth face masks for its workers as added safety measure

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Beginning this week, Tops will be rolling out additional safety measures at all of its 162 stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Those safety measures include providing all of its associates with American made cloth face masks to ensure their associates health and well-being while serving the community as essential workers.

This safety measure is in addition to the 5,000 face shields already distributed to its workforce. These masks have been ordered from multiple providers in order to ensure that the quantities needed are available.  

The masks that Tops is providing to their associates are American made, which was important to Tops as a company. An added bonus was that some masks were even made locally in Buffalo, where Tops is headquartered.

Tops is confident that the masks will be distributed to all associates by the end of this week. In the meantime disposable masks will be available. 

“There is nothing more important to Tops than the health and safety of our associates, customers, vendors, and their respective families,” said Chairman and CEO Frank Curci. “We have been laser-focused on COVID-19 since it became clear that the United States was going to be greatly impacted by this pandemic and can assure the public that we are implementing the safety and sanitation protocols that are being recommended by the experts available to us.

"As this crisis has unfolded, I know that our protocols have evolved to stay abreast of the latest medical and scientific advice coming from these health experts and Tops can pledge to you that we are fully engaged on this task for the sake of all involved.”   

Tops is also 90-percent complete with the installation of plexiglas on both sides of its registers as of today, and is complete with the installation of Plexiglas at all of its customer service desks, pharmacy, and fuel stations. In total the company will have installed nearly 1,000 plexiglas safety shields by close of business on Wednesday, April 15.

Additional safety measures rolled out at all stores include providing gloves for their associates, hand sanitizer and wipes for their associates and customers respectively, and the newly instituted Comfort Zone areas at the registers, pharmacy, and deli areas, which provides more social distancing between customers as well as the customer and Tops associate.

Further, an associate is assigned at each store specifically in charge of sanitization of the front end registers, check stands, conveyor belts, customer service desks, point of sale devices, restrooms,and other frequently touched surfaces most accessed by customers on a continual basis during operating hours.

Le Roy man, two others injured in early-morning crash in Pembroke

By Howard B. Owens

Three people, including a Le Roy resident, were injured when a National Grid line repair truck and a box truck collided at 3:40 a.m. at Brick House Corners in Pembroke.

The Sheriff's Office reports that a 2011 Freightliner box truck driven by Kimaly Satchel-el, 33, of Lafayette Avenue, Syracuse, was southbound on Route 77. Luis H. Welch, 32, of West Main Street, Le Roy, was driving eastbound on Route 5 in a 2014 Freightliner utility truck. 

Satchel-el allegedly failed to yield the right-of-way at the intersection of Route 5 and Route 77 and struck the utility truck.

Upon impact, the box truck rotated counterclockwise and came to rest facing north off of the north should of Route 5.  

The utility truck traveled off the southeast corner of the intersection, coming to rest facing southeast.

Satchel-el was extricated from the truck by volunteer firefighters. He was unconscious at the time of the extrication and sustained multiple injuries and was transported by Mercy EMS to ECMC. His passenger, Candace R. Keith, 21, of Brooklyn, was also transported to ECMC for treatment of injuries.

Welch was taken to UMMC for evaluation of a shoulder injury.

Pembroke, Indian Falls, East Pembroke, along with Mercy EMS responded to the scene. The investigation is continuing and is being conducted by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun, and Crash Management Team members Sgt. Jason Saile and Deputy Kyle Krzemein.

Photos and additional reporting by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service​.

Shed fire reported at 91 Myrtle St., Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

A shed fire, with flames showing, is reported at 91 Myrtle St., Le Roy.

Le Roy fire, Le Roy ambulance, Bergen fire and City fire's FAST Team dispatched.

UPDATE 8:03 p.m.: Le Roy's chief has put Bergen back in service.

Video: Le Roy Golfers practice golf and social distancing

By Howard B. Owens

Le Roy Oatkan Knight Golf Coach Amy Brotherton rallied her current and former players to produce a quarantine golf video. 

Principal Tim McArdle said it is a tribute to all Section V golfers and pros missing "Moving Day at the Masters Golf Tournament."

Le Roy schools' Music Department earns national NAMM Foundation award -- its 14th in last 15 years

By Billie Owens

Submitted photos and press release:

The philanthropic arm of the trade group known as the National Association of Music Merchants -- the NAMM Foundation -- has designated Le Roy Central School District as one of the 2020 Best Communities for Music Education in the nation.

This designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.

Le Roy is one of 754 districts across the county receiving the prestigious award in 2020. Congratulations to the Le Roy music teachers, administrators, students, parents, and community leaders on this distinguished designation!

Le Roy has received this designation 14 out of the last 15 years and continues to thrive in providing music education through many opportunities throughout the district.

In the Le Roy Central School District, the music education program supports 325 students in chorus and 220 students in band, and offers vocal and instrumental performance ensembles for students in grades 4-12 as well as a competitive marching band.

Annually, the program produces a sixth-grade musical and a jr.-sr. high musical. In the classroom, general music and a variety of sr. high electives are also offered each year.

Merritt Holly -- Le Roy superintendent: "On behalf of the Board of Education and the entire Le Roy Central School District, we are extremely proud to be recognized again as a 2020 Best Communities for Music Education. This prestigious honor signifies the continued dedication and passion our teachers and students have each day to excel in music education. Congratulations to our administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community for setting high expectations in order to achieve this tremendous accomplishment!"

Carol Messura -- Wolcott Street School principal: "Wolcott Street School is beaming with pride at receiving the "Best Community for Music Education" designation for the 14th year! Our music department continues to raise the bar of excellence for our students! Each and every staff member in the department plays an integral role in providing quality, sound instruction to meet the needs of all their students. Congratulations on another year of excellence!"

Tim McArdle -- Jr.-Sr. High School principal: "We are so proud of our music students and staff who year in and year out produce high-level performances on our stages, in the pit, in competition, and on the field across many places throughout the region. Our program is so successful because of the dedicated teachers, families, and community who continue to offer so many opportunities for our students. A special thank you to our students for their commitment and willingness to perform at such a high level. Their dedication to and work ethic on their craft is inspiring, way to go, Knights!"

Matt Nordhausen -- Le Roy Music Department chair: "We are truly humbled to receive this wonderful designation for a 14th year, which casts a national spotlight on the incredible contributions made by the parents, teachers, school administrators, board of education, and members of this community to provide unparalleled music educational opportunities and experiences for the growth and benefit of our students. It is especially uplifting to earn this distinction during these troubling and uncertain times. Thank you NAMM Foundation for this recognition and thank you Le Roy community for your continued support!"

For more information about NAMM Foundation and its support of programs, research and activities that promote music making across the lifespan, click here.

Genesee County DA's office, victim's family to fight petition to transfer mentally ill killer to less-secure facility

By Mike Pettinella

The Genesee County District Attorney’s Office and the family of murder victim Norman D. “Don” Ball vehemently oppose an application that would permit Kyle Johnson to be moved from a secure mental health facility in Orange County to a non-secure facility.

Johnson (photo at right), in December of 2016, was committed to the Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center in New Hampton after being found not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect of murder.

It was a year earlier, on Dec. 1, 2015, when Johnson shot the 69-year-old Ball to death while he was sleeping at his Selden Road, Le Roy residence.

Johnson then returned to his own home, set it on fire and then fired shots at a Le Roy fire chief and Le Roy police officer when they responded to the fire alarm. Following an hours-long standoff -- during which Johnson reportedly asked officers to shoot him and threatened officers with a rifle in his arms – the perpetrator surrendered peacefully to authorities.

These actions led District Attorney Lawrence Friedman to file an eight-count indictment against Johnson that included charges of murder, burglary, arson and attempted murder.

In the end, Johnson was evaluated by a pair of psychologists – one hired by the prosecution and the other hired by the defense – and it was determined that he was not guilty by reason of mental illness or defect.

Tentative court date set for April 29

Three years and four months later, officials at Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center are petitioning Orange County Supreme Court to allow Johnson to be transferred to a non-secure facility. A tentative date of April 29 has been set by the court to ensure the matter stays on the court’s calendar.

Assistant District Attorney Diane LaVallee, who has been assigned to the case, on Tuesday said the Genesee County DA’s office is against the proposed transfer considering the severity of the crimes committed and the timing of such a move.

“For someone to go from, so obviously, terribly dangerously mentally ill to not being dangerously mentally ill after three years of services … this is hard to believe,” LaVallee said. “I think that everyone expected that this was going to happen someday but no one, including Mr. Friedman, would have ever believed that it would be this quickly. It’s very, very soon.”

LaVallee, with 35 years’ experience as a prosecutor, joined the Genesee County DA’s office recently. She previously served as deputy chief of Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit of the NYS Attorney General’s Office and, before that, chief of the Attorney General’s Capital Assistance to Prosecutors Unit.

She said her office is taking all steps necessary to ensure that Johnson, who was 53 at the time of the murder, stays in a secure mental health facility.

DA's office to seek psychiatric exam

“The DA’s office can be a party to this even though this is a civil proceeding, but we obviously are an interested party, so we have given our notice of appearance and expressed our opposition to such a transfer at this time,” she said. “We’ve been actively going through the process of getting another psychiatrist to conduct an examination of him and we have received the (confidential) medical records.”

LaVallee added that Genesee Justice has drafted a letter seeking information about Johnson’s mental state that would be helpful to the court in deciding whether or not Johnson remains dangerously mentally ill. Those interested in responding to this call for information are asked to contact Rosanne DeMare at Genesee Justice, LaVallee said.

“What we’re looking for is information that would be relevant to whether he currently suffers from a dangerous mental illness,” LaVallee explained. “Relevant information would include information that people might have relating to statements that he may have made about his mental illness or his current capacity.”

Continuing, she said that sometimes patients in these facilities will still correspond with individuals (from the area where the crimes were committed).

“Just as importantly, the horrendous incident itself isn’t that long ago," she said. "So, one of the arguments we expect to make … is that it’s just too soon. The brutal murder of one individual and shooting at other responders at the scene; by nature, you’re not going to be cured of your dangerousness within this short a period of time.”

Victim's son says system is partly to blame

Ball’s son, Ryan, 41, on Wednesday said he is “completely against” a possible transfer and said the system failed society by not locking Johnson up prior to the murder.

“It’s unprecedented how fast this is happening. It’s not even the norm that somebody would be set free or healed in that amount of time,” Ryan said. “I think it’s a danger to society to allow that. And the whole reason that he did this in the first place is because he was not put away after doing several things. He should have been put away before this ever happened.”

Ryan said that Johnson’s history includes holding his own family at gunpoint and “nothing was done about it.”

“He (Johnson) is notorious for not taking his medication,” he said. “I don’t like the fact that he got away on a not guilty by reason of insanity; I do not agree with that. It would have been an uphill battle from what doctors were saying (that Johnson was mentally ill). Sane or not, you know right from wrong. You should be able to be prosecuted.”

Ryan also said he believes the proposed transfer has more to do with a lack of bed space at facilities such as the one in Orange County.

“While I’m glad they’re (the DA’s office) going to battle to keep him in there, I don’t believe it has anything to do with him being healed or any saner, but more about not having enough facilities to handle people,” he said. “That’s my personal opinion.”

Ryan lives with his wife and children on the Selden Road property in a new home that he built (after tearing down the old one). He has three sisters, Cherie (Craig) Wessel of Le Roy, Jeanette Keating of Spencerport and Shawna (Ken) Geil of Spencerport.

'Too soon and a lack of bed space'

His mother, Carol Rider, and her husband, John, said Friedman assured them at the time of the verdict that Johnson “wouldn’t see the light of day for many, many years.” This new development, however, has them worried.

“It has only been three years," Carol said. "They’re going to have a hearing to put him in a minimum-security facility and the next step after that is ‘good-bye.’ And that’s mostly because of lack of bed space.” 

“We feel the community needs to know what is going on and have a chance to give their input,” John added.

LaVallee said she wasn’t sure where Johnson would end up should the court rule in his favor to be transferred, but it could be the Rochester Psychiatric Center.

“Hypothetically, someone admitted to a less secure facility would be put into a lockdown unit with certain conditions put on him,” she said. “As he shows his ability to be not dangerous or (ability to be) compliant, then he’ll be given more freedom but also with more conditions. Eventually, yes, the goal is that he’s back in society.”

She said that some people can be rehabilitated and not be a threat to society, but “we don’t want to create a vigilante-type of atmosphere either.”

“He (Johnson) has got to be able to live safely wherever he ends up living,” she said. “This, hopefully, will be years and years down the line, but whenever it happens we want to weigh the understandable grief and outrage of the victim’s family with his own safety as well.”

An administrator at the Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center said “probably not” when asked if someone would be available to comment on the facility’s petition to the court, mentioned a media contact and then hung up the phone.

Pickup truck driver reportedly seen loading up with Town of Le Roy rocks

By Billie Owens

A pickup truck in the area of Circular Hill Road in Le Roy was reported at a rock pile and the driver was loading rocks into the bed of the truck. A Le Roy police officer says he found tracks from the truck, which has left the scene. The rocks are said to belong to the Town of Le Roy.

CANCELLED: Just like clockwork & right on time: the Easter Bunny will indeed visit Le Roy

By Billie Owens

LE ROY -- Generations of children and their families have grown accustomed to the yearly Easter Egg Hunt at Hartwood Park. This month, plans have changed but Le Roy's community spirit has not, in spite of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing.

At high noon on Saturday, April 11th, a drive-thru distribution of prepackaged bags of candy-stuffed eggs will take place at Trigon Park in the village, a site selected for its ability to handle the large volume of expected traffic.

The folks putting this thing together aren't fooling around.

An estimated 8,000 eggs with 24,000 pieces of candy have been sequestered since April 1st.

They will be given out to an estimated 800 children who've all had their childhoods disrupted. As luck would have it, three Easter baskets will be given to the occupants of the 50th, 100th and 150th car in line.

Also, several bags will contain a highly coveted "Golden Egg" -- with special instructions for a Special Prize.

The outsized Easter Bunny will be there, as always, flopsy-eared front and center, assisted by at least 10 members of the Rotary Club of Le Roy and their families, wearing latex gloves and masks 2020 style. The pros at the Le Roy Police Department will handle vehicle traffic and safety.

Many hours of work and strategic planning by volunteers, village officials and civic-minded citizens makes this possible.

Earlier this year, the Le Roy Business Council put the Rotary Club of Le Roy in charge of the project, and they formed a committee, led by Shannon Karcher.

The committee explored avenues to safely distribute the treats. But when schools and a backup location closed due to "New York On PAUSE" mandates, the event was in jeopardy and its cancellation considered.

Working with the Village of Le Roy Board and using the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and New York State, the Rotary Club of Le Roy hatched its plot to put safety first while using a village street and park for a massive distribution of seasonal goodies.

Taking the trouble to do this matters because American traditions matter here.

Nearly 30 years ago, through the efforts of the Le Roy Business Council, they started holding an Easter Egg Hunt on the Saturday before Easter at Le Roy Central School’s Hartwood Park.

The date of Easter itself varies. It is observed on the Sunday following the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon that occurs on or after the March 21 spring equinox. So Easter will always occur on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25.

This year Easter Sunday is April 12. And the day before, a midday queue of automobiles in Le Roy might in itself be a testament to something unseen, like COVID-19, but way bigger.

Distribution will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Rain, shine or high water.

Information used in this post was provided by the Le Roy Rotary Club.

Service Above Self Mission Statement: The mission of Rotary International is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

Photos: Sign says Mooney's in Le Roy is for sale

By Howard B. Owens

Mooney's Sports & Bar Grill in Le Roy, which in 2019 went through a pubic health crisis that forced it to close for awhile and is now, like all restaurants, forced to reduce services because of another public health crisis, has announced on its own sign that it is for sale.

Photos by Philip Casper.

Photos: Star-spangled social distancing in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

Scott Roblee, guitarist of Audibull plays "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the Village of Le Roy. Scott said he wanted to “boost everyone’s morale“ during these difficult times because “we only have this one life, and we need to cherish every second."

Dozens of townsfolk came to watch live, and a video was also streamed on Facebook live.

Photos by Philip Casper.

Le Roy company goes 'all in' to meet challenge of quick turn around to make ventilator parts

By Billie Owens

Submitted photo and information:

LE ROY -- Some good news to report -- working ventilator parts destined for New York City are being manufactured right here in Le Roy. Aluminum Injection Mold Co. LLC was contacted regarding building a mold one week ago with a challenge to mold plastic over an aluminum extrusion being produced in Ohio.

Typically it would have taken five to seven weeks to construct a mold like this to produce a ventilator part. But Aluminum Injection Mold knew of the urgency that was required and decided they were all in, whatever it took.

The ventilator part was one of several from an MIT design. An engineering firm from Long Island was the driving force, coordinating and building the ventilators to go into hospitals treating coronavirus patients.

By Tuesday evening, Aluminum Injection Mold made their first attempt to mold the ventilator part and continued long exasperating hours straight through the night until they succeeded.

By the yesterday morning, they had achieved making the ventilator parts that were then driven to the engineering firm in Long Island for trial.

Today (April 2), Aluminum Injection Mold received word that the ventilator parts are working well and has been given the go ahead to start producing more.

The company is owned by Gerald Ayers, president, and Tom Bergman, vice president.

Photo: Tom Swanson, molding manager, left and Tim Bergman, molding machine operator.

Le Roy's Our Lady of Mercy Parish announces changes in tolling of bells due to COVID-19

By Billie Owens

Press release: 

On Sunday, Dec. 8th, 10:30 a.m. the bells at Our Lady of Mercy rang out for the first time since spring of 2017, after extensive work to replace the mechanisms that ring the bells, including the motors, the striker, and controller. The ceremonial ringing included a blessing of the new system by Fr. Matthew H. Phelan, O. de M., pastor.

Since that time, each day, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the bells have tolled in clock tower fashion at the top of the hour with a single toll at the bottom of the hour. In addition, the Angelus bell — a call to prayer for Catholics — has rung at noon and 6 p.m. [The traditional 6 a.m. ring is bypassed out of respect for local codes.] On weekends, a call to prayer rings 5 minutes before each Sunday Mass.

This past weekend, a request was made by some neighbors to alter the ringing schedule out of consideration for health care professionals who were working overnight hours due to the COVID-19 crisis. The pastor decided to temporarily silence the bells in order to consult with the pastoral council and weigh the opinions of parishioners and the citizens of Le Roy. After a weekend of consultation, lively discussion through social media, silence, and prayerful consideration, it has been determined that bells shall be programmed according to the following parameters:

While the COVID-19 (coronavirus) social distancing guidelines are in place for the State of New York:

  • The church bells will continue to ring the Angelus at noon and 6pm.
  • In addition to the Angelus, the bells will ring a traditional “death knell,” or funeral tollat 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to call to mind those who of have died due to this pandemic and as
  • reminder to pray for all those who place their lives in danger for others.

The first day social distancing guidelines are lifted:

  • The bells will ring in celebration at 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

  • The funeral toll will ring at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

  • The Angelus will ring at noon and 6 p.m.

Following this day of both celebration and prayer, the bells will return to the previous ringing pattern that followed the repairs.

Our Lady of Mercy Parish, 44 Lake St., Le Roy, is a ministry of the Order of the B.V.M. of Mercy - Mercedarian Friars.

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