Uncategorized

S&S Welcomes Dr. Luke Johnson

PENN YAN - Emergency Medicine physician Luke M. Johnson, MD has joined the medical staff of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital.
Johnson attended medical school at the University of Washington School of Medicine – WWAMI Site: Spokane, in Newport, Wash. and completed his Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
He belongs to the:

American College of Emergency Physicians
Emergency Medicine Residents' Association
American College of Emergency Physicians – N.Y.
American College of Emergency Physicians – Wash.

Johnson enjoys backpacking, hiking, rock climbing, traveling through state parks, road trips, international travel, photography, along with reading science fiction and fantasy.

Read MoreS&S Welcomes Dr. Luke Johnson

Prattsburgh father & son arrested for Jan. 6 insurrection

PRATTSBURGH — Two men, a father and son from Prattsburgh, were arrested Aug. 14 on felony and misdemeanor charges related to their alleged participation in the breach of the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, when their actions with others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to count the electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.
CHARLES E. SCHIMMEL, 53, and Logan LOGAN SCHIMMEL, 23, are charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses of entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
The FBI arrested the Schimmels on Aug. 14, and they made their initial appearance in the Western District of New York.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, the Schimmels attended the "Stop the Steal" rally at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., and afterward made their way toward the U.S. Capitol building, arriving at the Northwest Capitol stairs near the Inauguration scaffolding. Open-source video footage depicts the Schimmels at the front of a crowd of rioters, fighting and shoving against a police line.
As the crowd pushed against the police line, the line moved backward. Eventually, the crowd cut open the exterior canvas of the Inaugural scaffolding, and the crowd, including the Schimmels, began to climb through the scaffolding and up the Northwest Capitol stairs. It is alleged that the Schimmels then aided the crowd of rioters in pushing past police officers on the stairs, surging past fallen barricades. Court records say that Charles Schimmel grabbed a U.S. Capitol Police bicycle and moved it away from the crowd of rioters.
It is alleged that the Schimmels were among the first rioters inside the Capitol building, entering at about 2:14 p.m., approximately one minute after rioters had kicked down and smashed the Senate Wing Door and adjoining windows. Once inside, the Schimmels made their way to multiple locations inside the Capitol, including the Crypt, Rotunda, Speaker of the House office suite, Senate Minority Leader office suite, East Foyer, and Senate Wing hallway before exiting the building at about 3:14 p.m.
Court documents say that the Schimmels and other rioters remained on Capitol grounds for nearly two hours after leaving the building. At about 4:49 p.m., the Schimmels allegedly were present on the Northwest stairs as police officers formed a line in an attempt to clear the area of rioters. As the police line approached the Schimmels, the two men allegedly leaned backward against police riot shields in order to resist the advancement of the officers.
It is alleged that the Schimmels ignored repeated commands from police to move back and instead continued to push against the line. Eventually, at about 4:55 p.m., police succeeded in moving the crowd, including the Schimmels, down the stairs and away from the building. At about 4:58 p.m., the Schimmels again allegedly stopped and leaned their bodies back against the police line. Court documents say that the Schimmels were among the last rioters to leave the area.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York.
The case is being investigated by the FBI's Buffalo and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 43 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Read MorePrattsburgh father & son arrested for Jan. 6 insurrection

LETTER TO THE EDITOR A Republican view

What could a Republican in Yates County possibly have to say? Especially after 55 years of watching Yates County deteriorate and then thrive again.
First of all, I do have a memory. Penn Yan Express, Champion, Michaels-Stern, Penn Yan Boats, high technology stern drives, flat bottom party barges, many small boat companies, Finger Lakes fancy Concord grapes, Seneca Lake selected cluster Delaware grapes, E.R. Underwood Finger Lakes Niagara grapes, milk and cattle haulers, buckwheat, fresh sweetcorn, cattle ranches, fresh fruit, the Fishing Derby, opera, and ice fishing. Too many to remember for this old man.
Of course I am, and my family always, Republican. We were independent Republican, I guess. Stories of FDR's legendary leadership in the worst of times, Depression, Prohibition, W.W. II, and the Holocaust are still fresh in my mind like yesterday. Then there was Harry Truman who brought home my uncles, except Mac, in Europe for eternity. We voted across the line.
I, as a moderate to liberal Republican, feel like a man without a party. I just have some fears. Like huge national hospitals (even for our dog), corporate farming, and fewer local news sources.
"Woke," I learned recently, once had a great reputation, a meaning of acknowledgement of the needs of others, not just P.C. and permissiveness. It was seeing our co-residents of the county with understanding and compassion. I, as a Christian, must acknowledge mercy and justice. As Pope Francis said, "Who am I to judge?" And as instructed by God's son, I must pray for remission of sins, and for the sinner as well. Yes, I am still trying to learn.
My message received; keep eyes, ears, and mind open, and you may even see yourself differently. Mercy is nothing if we have no justice, and I support justice as essential. If we have no justice, woke is nothing.
Thank you and the Chronicle-Express for this opportunity to speak out.

George Gratton
Dresden

EDITOR'S NOTE: Letter writers are responsible for making sure the information they submit is accurate and factual.

Read MoreLETTER TO THE EDITOR A Republican view