Justice by the youth, for the youth: Newest Youth Court class takes oath of office

By Julia Merulla

Juvenile offenders, watch out. There’s a new group of people in town prepared to enforce the law.

Sure, they’re kids themselves, but they’ve spent hours training and are prepared to hand down some real sanctions.

The four local residents – Autumn Finch of Warsaw, Joel Hulme of Warsaw, Riley Humberstone of Perry and Kristy Mell of Attica – graduated from their Wyoming County Youth Court training Dec. 18 during a ceremony at the Wyoming County Court House in Warsaw.

As part of Youth Court, they will take on different roles in the courtroom, hearing real cases involving juvenile offenders in Wyoming County. Then, they come up consequences for the transgressions.

If the offenders admit wrongdoing – such as petit larceny, fighting and bullying – and go through the youth court system, they avoid having a criminal record.

“They get that one chance to do right and to do well,” said Andrea Aldinger, director of the county’s Aging and Youth bureau.

The goal is to stop youth from going down the wrong path early in life, said family court judge Hon. Michael F. Griffith.

He told the graduates, “You are kind of like the keepers of the gate, in the sense that if you can help straighten out somebody’s life at an earlier stage, we find that that’s the time to catch them.”

The program’s success is measurable: Those in charge of Youth Court said that over 90 percent of the offenders seen in Youth Court do not come back – and that number has been as high as 98 or 99 percent.

Following opening remarks, the new Youth Court members raised their right hand and took their oath of office, vowing to uphold the constitution of the state and nation. Then, with the help of previous graduates, they acted out a mock trial.

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New York State Dairy Bowl team wins at national event: Attica native Alton Rudgers was team captain

By Julia Merulla

Alton Rudgers almost passed up participating in the National 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl this year.

The 17-year-old had placed at the top in the local, regional and state levels and had been named to the four-person New York State Dairy Bowl team. But the rules dictate that once competitors make it to the national competition, they’re not allowed to return – and Rudgers wasn’t sure he wanted to compete for the final time this year.

It’s a good thing he decided to go, because Rudgers and his three teammates on the New York State team defeated Wisconsin for ultimate bragging rights.

Nineteen teams from across the country competed in the event, held Nov. 3 at the North American International Livestock Expedition in Louisville, Ky.

The 4-H Dairy Bowl tournament is an intellectual competition testing participants’ complete knowledge of the dairy industry, from business practices to dairy products to cow care and everything in between.

New York State team formed in April at the state Dairy Bowl tournament, said Tanya Nickerson,  community educator for 4-H.

“(Rudgers) was the winner of the county contest, then he placed in the top 4 at both regional and the state event,” Nickerson said.

The Attica native and his teammates – Danielle Keller, Noah Ives and Erik Shelmidine – drove to Louisville on Nov. 1.

“It’s a 10-hour drive to Louisville, and we studied the whole way,” said Rudgers, who was the team captain.

Like his teammates, who hailed from counties around the state, Rudgers has a dairy background. His family used to milk 180 Jersey and Holstein cows but sold the farm when he was about 9 years old, although they still own some cows to show at the fair.

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An airing of grievances: DEC holds public availability session regarding Hillcrest

By Bryan Jackson

Things got tense early and often at a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation public availability session on Hillcrest Industries in Attica on Nov. 1.

Several DEC, United States Environmental Protection Agency and local officials were on hand to field questions and concerns from Attica residents still searching for answers in the ever-growing Hillcrest saga.

Officials out to different rooms based on subject matter, so people asking air quality questions went one place, while those seeking information on environmental code enforcement went to another.

However, this format was met with pushback from a majority of the residents, as they saw it as a way for the DEC to “divide and conquer.” Sen. Patrick Gallivan, who helped coordinate the session and offered introductory remarks, stood by the format, saying it was a system that has proven beneficial in previous, similar circumstances.

The major theme of the night was health concerns, and after numerous violations over a long period, residents continually pushed for answers as to why the DEC could not shut Hillcrest down. DEC officials said their agency is working to bring Hillcrest into compliance with their codes and regulations but no agency has determined the facility poses an imminent danger to health or welfare of Attica residents.

The lack of clarity didn’t sit well with residents who came to the meeting expecting more concrete answers and explanations.

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EPA extinguishes Hillcrest fire

By Bryan Jackson

The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that fires burning within the massive pile of glass, plastic and garbage at Hillcrest Industries have been extinguished.

According to the Oct. 15 press release, the fires were officially declared out Sunday, Oct. 14. The cleanup process cleared and cooled approximately 49,000 cubic yards of material at the Attica facility. A fire management and temperature control plan is now in place to protect against reignition, and EPA officials will remain on-scene for at least another week to support the plan.

Now, EPA and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officials are reassessing the situation to determine further action including relocating the pile.

Air monitoring systems remain in place, and show non-detectable levels of volatile organic compounds as well as low levels of in-air particulate.

For additional information, visit the EPA’s Hillcrest page or the DEC’s Hillcrest page

EPA: About half of Hillcrest pile cleared, cooled

By Bryan Jackson

With the cleanup process entering its second week, crews working to break down the pile of burning glass and plastic at Hillcrest Industries in Attica have made visible progress.

Workers from Wargo Enterprises, the demolition company charged with busting into the pile, have cleared and cooled over 32,000 cubic yards of material at the Favor Street facility, according to an Oct. 9 press release from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA estimated that amount to be about one half of the pile.

The EPA said while the pile is mostly smoldering, workers have encountered pockets of open flame, and with work now entering the hottest sections of the pile, more run-ins with open flames could continue. When cleanup began Sept. 29, the material being handled averaged 180 degrees. An Oct. 4 EPA release cited temperatures near 750 degrees, and the Oct. 9 release containing the most recent information available reported temperatures around 575 degrees

Odor emanating from the pile is lingering, but the EPA has stated particulate levels are under control. Additionally, air testing has not reported increased levels of volatile organic compounds like benzene, styrene and toluene, which were detected by previous tests.

“Results of real time monitoring show levels of volatile organic compounds that are mostly not detectable or are very low,” the Oct. 9 release read. “Lab results of sampling for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are by-products of burning, have mostly shown no detectable levels. However, on October 3, two polycyclic hydrocarbons, naphthalene and a biphenyl, were detected at very low levels from a location just north of the facility, but the levels were below a level of concern. The detected substances north of the facility are in the vicinity of a welding operation.”

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