Catt. County 1-26-23

Salamanca schools announce local, Regents exams schedule

SALAMANCA

— The Salamanca High School will administer midterm, semester

1 local exams as well as Regents exams Jan, 24-27.

Students in grades 8-12 will only come to school when they have an exam to take or have been contacted

by their teacher to come in for extra help to get caught up on materials.

Monday, Jan. 23 will be a full normal day of school for students.

Morning exams will be administered from 8-11 a.m.

Afternoon exams will be administered from noon to 3 p.m.

Students arrive at school using normal bus runs and/or personal transportation. There will be a 10:40 a.m. bus to transport students home as well as an 11:30 a.m. bus to pick up students and bring them to the high school for afternoon exams. Buses will make a mid-morning bus

run to transport students to school for afternoon exams. There will be a normal 2:35 p.m. bus run for students in 8-12 and Seneca Intermediate as well as 3:30, 4 and 4:50 runs.

For students who attend the Ellicottville Vo-Tech Center, buses

will run at regular times. If a student is not scheduled for a midterm exam and attends the Ellicottville Vo-Tech Center, they are expected to go to the Vo-Tech Center.

Morning BOCES students who do not have a midterm scheduled will be dropped off at home

on the way back to the high school. Breakfast will be available until 7:50 a.m. Lunch will be available for students who are going to BOCES, returning from BOCES or testing morning and afternoon. Visit salamancany.org for a printable exam schedule.

Senecas: Hochul’s silence on important Native issues speaks volumes

By Kellen M. Quigley

SALAMANCA

— Seneca Nation

President Rickey Armstrong Sr. called Gov. Kathy Hochul’s State of the State Address delivered Jan. 10, and action in Albany in recent weeks, a reminder about how poorly indigenous nations are regarded in the state capital.

Although the Legislature officially began its 2023 session last week, Armstrong said Jan. 10 was the day all eyes turn to Albany. The priorities for the coming year were outlined and the aspirational goals identified, setting a framework for the months ahead, he said.

“Sadly,

the priorities of the Native nations located within New York were nowhere to be found among the priorities articulated today,” he said. “Not a single word of recognition was granted to the people who have been here since time immemorial — marginalized, again and still, in both word and deed.” At the end of 2022, Hochul vetoed a bill passed by the Legislature in June that would have protected unmarked graves and human remains from desecration.

Armstrong said the veto came as a tremendous disappointment to the Seneca Nation and all native nations and communities.

“There

are countless Native burial sites throughout New York, dating back to before colonial invasion of our lands,” he said.

“Our ancestors deserve to be protected and our sacred sites treated with dignity and respect.”

While

47 other states have such measures in place, Armstrong said New York has remained on the sidelines. After decades of “disregard, mistreatment and destruction aimed at our people, our land and our culture,” he said the state could have given an important, meaningful

signal that the rights and dignity of Native people were finally garnering appropriate attention and respect.

“Instead, property and development interests were allowed to maintain their priority position over people,” the president said, “and not just Native people, but other cultural groups whose ancestors’ final resting place may be disturbed.”

The veto of the Unmarked Burial Site Protection Act came on the heels of another veto rejecting a bill that would have

GOD, WHO SPOKE IN TIMES PAST

rightfully protected the hunting and fishing rights Native people bargained for through treaties with the United States.

“The violation of our treaties may be commonplace behavior in the halls of outside governments, but that doesn’t make the practice any less egregious,” Armstrong said.

The Seneca Nation, like all Native nations within New York, has many issues specific to its people and lands that they aim to address with the

state in the coming year, Armstrong said, some of which have wide-reaching impacts far beyond Native territories.

“But, there are issues that affect all Native people and communities — from the shores of Lake Erie to the shores of Long Island,” the president added. “We hope, that as 2023 continues, those issues are not met with the same silence that echoed from the capitol today.”

Man sentenced to 6 years in prison for weapons possession

By Rick Miller LITTLE

VALLEY — A

Cattaraugus County

man was sentenced in Cattaraugus County Court to six years in state prison for weapons possession.

Anthony Wick, 44, no address listed, but presently incarcerated in the county jail, pleaded guilty earlier to

first-degree attempted criminal possession of a weapon in connection with an incident March 1, 2022, in the town of New Albion. County Court Judge Ronald Ploetz also sentenced Wick on Jan. 10 to five years’ post-release supervision

District Attorney Lori Pettit Rieman said Wick was charged in the incident with possessing 10 or more firearms.

Ploetz also sentenced Brian McGonagle, no address listed, but presently incarcerated in the county jail, to a term of 1½ years in state prison and two years’ post-release supervision, plus 179 days concurrent in the county jail for his conviction of fifth-degree attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance.

The incident occurred in the town of

Machias, when the defendant possessed a controlled substance with the intent to sell, the district attorney said.

A Great Valley man, Leon Gerbauer, 42, was sentenced to five years’ probation and restitution for his conviction of unlawfully entering a building in the town of Great Valley with someone to commit a crime on Jan. 15, 2022, knowingly entered or remained

unlawfully in a building with intent to commit a crime.

The judge also accepted guilty pleas from the following defendants: James Olson, 38, of Randolph, waived prosecution by indictment and pleaded guilty by superior court information to driving while intoxicated. The incident occurred on May 11 in the town of Randolph. Sentencing set for Feb. 27.

Zaid Mendoza, 44, no address listed, but presently incarcerated in the county jail, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree criminal trespass. The incident occurred on Oct. 20, 2021, in the town of Conewango, when the defendant acted jointly and in concert with another to forcibly steal property. Sentencing was set for March 13.

AUTO CORNER

How to handle driving in heavy rain

The road is filled with variables that change each time drivers get behind the wheel. Whether it’s aggressive drivers, road construction crews or some other unknown, drivers can never say with certainty what they will encounter while on the road.

Mother Nature is as significant a variable as any drivers will face, and many conditions can turn otherwise ordinary trips into ordeals that put motorists’ skills to the test. Though heavy rain might not seem as difficult to navigate as snow, it’s vital that drivers recognize the threat posed by such conditions. In fact, the Federal Highway Administration reports that each year 75 percent of weather-related vehicle crashes occur on wet pavement, while 47 percent, or nearly half, happen while rain is falling.

Such statistics are sobering and underscore how dangerous it can be to drive in rain or when roads are wet. Drivers are not helpless in such conditions, especially when they exercise caution in wet conditions.

· Slow down. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that drivers will have a harder time controlling or stopping their vehicles on slick roads than dry roads. And that’s the case for both experienced and novice motorists. When driving in the rain or on wet roads, drivers should slow down, even if it requires driving a little below the speed limit. Though

it can be dangerous to drive too slowly on highways, drivers can use the far-right lane on such roads, which is not considered a passing lane and is often seen as the lane designated for vehicles moving more slowly.

· Leave extra room between your car and other vehicles. The NHTSA also advises increasing the following distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you when driving in rain or on wet roads. An extra couple of car lengths ensures you will have more time to react and stop if vehicles ahead of you encounter issues.

· Be mindful of pedestrians and cyclists. Though pedestrians and cyclists typically avoid walking or cycling in heavy rains, that does not mean there will be none on the road. That’s especially so when heavy rains fall suddenly, leaving pedestrians and cyclists already on the road with little options but to continue. Visibility can be especially compromised in heavy rains, which makes it even harder to see pedestrians and cyclists. So drivers should not assume the roads are only populated by fellow motorists and must be especially vigilant to avoid hitting pedestrians and cyclists.

· Travel familiar roads. Though familiarity does not mean motorists can be less vigilant when driving in rain, knowing the roads you’re on and the route you’re taking can ensure your

eyes are focused on the road at all times and not periodically glancing at GPS maps on your dashboard. If you’re planning a road trip and know heavy rain will factor in at some time, familiarize yourself with evacuation routes along the way to your destination. The NHTSA also recommends drivers learn which local radio stations to tune into for emergency alerts. Driving in heavy rain is no small task. But drivers can approach such conditions with caution to ensure they make it home safe.

Amy

Little Valley woman publishes top-selling children’s book

said.

By Deb Everts

LITTLE VALLEY — Local educator Amy Bedell recently self-published her first book, “She Will,” sending a message of love and acceptance for disability and special needs inclusion within its pages.

The author dedicated her children’s book about compassion and kindness to her cousin, Julie Mendell, who was her inspiration. Bedell said her cousin was born with a major disability and passed away at age 48 about two years ago.

But while she was here, Mendell had the love and ability to overcome what others may see as obstacles. She never let anything get her down, Bedell said, and she taught others that nothing was going to stand in her way.

“When Julie passed away, I actually wrote the entire book in my notes app on my cell phone that night. My feelings and emotions just flowed and came out,” she said. “I had no intention to write a book but my thought was, ‘I can’t believe the world is not going to know Julie.’

This book is Julie.”

Released Jan. 7, Bedell said the book, including a photo of Julie, isn’t about one specific disability. It looks at all disabilities and how children should be taught to

react to that child, or even an adult, in a compassionate and kind manner.

“The book is meant to be a conversation piece between a parent and their younger child. Although older children can read it independently, they are not going to get much from it unless an adult explains the situation and asks them questions about what they would do,” she said.

“The story brings out the questions children might have, but also answers those questions,” Bedell continued. “It also touches on disabilities as indicated in the opening text, ‘She was born, but not as expected.’ I never say what disability Julie was born with and the story says nothing could slow her down or stop her.”

Throughout the book, the reader will see various children who have disabilities. Bedell said every child should see themselves in picture books because there are few books that feature children with disabilities. She said this book is meant to start a conversation with children that asks “Do you see children like this in school?” and “How do you react?”

“Showing compassion and kindness is meant for both children with disabilities and without disabilities because, if you look through the book, we’re looking at inclusion,” she

Looking at the rest of the world, Bedell said school is the only place where inclusion doesn’t always happen. She said there are no separate lines in a store for people with abilities and disabilities, and restaurant menus have pictures and words.

“Inclusion involves people of all ability levels,” she said. “Our schools are the only place where inclusion doesn’t happen all the time.”

Bedell said Julie is the reason she is a special education teacher at the Gail N. Chapman Elementary School in Randolph. She resides in Little Valley with her husband, Craig, and their 7-year-old twins, Alex and Grace. She said the students where she works are going through inclusion classrooms, also called mainstreaming.

“Sometimes the kids don’t know how to handle situations,” she said. “If we are looking at our inclusion classrooms, we should show more compassion to the children who may have a disability.”

Bedell said she started the process of self-publishing her book in August with Bear With Us Productions located in the United Kingdom. She got to pick from three illustrators who work for the company, choosing illustrator Nathaly Carvalho based on their artwork samples.

Many of the characters throughout the book represent children that Bedell has had in her classroom and others she has been acquainted with. Since she had something in mind as to what the illustrations might look like in her book, she sent pictures of Julie to Carvalho to give her ideas for each page and was very happy with the final results.

On the book’s dedication page Bedell wrote, “This book is dedicated to the kindest woman I’ve ever met, my cousin Julie Mendell. Julie never judged a person based on a disability or ability. She treated everyone with the kindness she thought they deserved.”

Bedell hopes the book will teach children to treat others, especially those with disabilities, with the kindness they deserve — just as Julie did.

“I encourage you to do at least one kind thing a day and, when you do, please think of our Julie,” she added. Her book, “She Will,” is available on

Amazon in paperback and Kindle. According to Bedell, the book was ranked No. 1 on Amazon under new releases in Special Education. As of Jan. 16, the book is ranked #290 overall in

on Amazon.

Bedell said she’s amazed that her little book written out on the notes app on her cell phone jumped to the number one spot in such a short time.

NOW

Press photo by Deb Everts

Bedell’s self-published debut book, “She Will,” is inspired by her late cousin, Julie Mendell, who was born with a major disability but never let anything stand in her way.