Wanda Trumble could face homicide charges in the death of her 5-month-old daughter, Nataliah. Watch video

Update: No autopsy yet in death of baby girl 5 months ago; bail decision delayed (again) for accused mom

Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse mother accused of shaking her baby to death last November is seeking to have her bail lowered.

Wanda Trumble is lodged in the Onondaga County jail with bail set at $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond on charges she caused serious injuries to her baby, who died after her arrest.

Trumble's due in County Court today to make her case to Judge Anthony Aloi.

5-month-old baby Nataliah Trumble was beaten to death by her teenage mother, police said. 

Five-month-old Nataliah Trumble died roughly three days after authorities say her mother hit her head on the wall and shook her violently inside an apartment a 477 James St.

Wanda Trumble, 20, admitted to shaking the baby and demonstrated in a video-taped police interview, authorities said.

A doctor called the injuries the most severe brain trauma he'd ever seen, according to court paperwork.

Wanda Trumble was arrested Nov. 9, a day before her child died at Upstate University Hospital. A grand jury is now looking in to homicide charges against her.

But Trumble's lawyer, Ed Klein, has argued that the evidence against her is weak. Family have accused the baby's father, Joseph Molina, of causing her injuries.

Molina has defended himself, noting that he brought the baby to the hospital after finding her injured. But relatives accused him of convincing Wanda Trumble to take the blame.

Two previous attempts to have Trumble's bail lowered were delayed in court as lawyers gathered more evidence.

Nataliah Trumble had a hard, short life. Neighbors said that a month before her death, she had a small cast on a fractured leg. They weren't sure what caused it. Nataliah had two half-siblings, each by a different father - a 1-year-old brother, who lived with her, and a 3-year-old sister who lives with her father.

A list of 100 U.S. airports ranked by average domestic round-trip fare.

What are the most expensive cities to fly out of?

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a report Tuesday comparing fares at 100 airports in the United States.

The most expensive? Huntsville International Airport in Huntsville, Alabama

The least expensive? Long Beach Airport in Long Beach, Calif.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's analysis ranked airports based on the average round-trip ticket fares, including additional taxes and fees for destinations within the United States.

How did Syracuse rank? 29th most expensive out of 100 airports. Rochester and Buffalo ranked cheaper than Syracuse; Albany, more expensive.

100 U.S. Airports (ranked by fares*)

Gov. Rick Perry challenges Gov. Andrew Cuomo to a jobs debate, the New York Police Department get a lesson on Twitter, and some Buffalo Jills are suing the team for failing to pay minimum wages.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Happy Wednesday, all. Let's just skip the weather and go right to the news, which is chocked full of exciting things like milkbots, Durapatchers and over-zealous texts and tweets.

Three counties, including Cortland, have backed out of a pilot program to test recertifications of pistol permits, saying the state stopped communicating with them about the project.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is visiting New York City to lure jobs back to his state and, apparently, to challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo to a debate on economic development and taxes.

Cuomo is in Albany today for a NY Rising conference, an update on the progress of his top agenda items.

City&State released its top 100 most powerful people in New York government. Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner made No. 56, Sen. John DeFrancisco made No. 82, and Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney squeaked in at No. 99.

Five Buffalo Jills are suing the Buffalo Bills, saying the team's management failed to pay them minimum wages and mistreated them on the job.

Buffalo Bills' fans won a small victory after claiming the team had texted them one too many times. The payoff? Debit cards, that can only be used at the team store.

#WhenTwitterfightsback: An invitation by the New York Police Department to tweet photos of residents interacting with police backfired, with people posting images that look like police brutality.

Assemblyman Bill Magee, D-Nelson, failed to win the designation from Madison County Democrats last week, the first time his home county hasn't picked him in his 12 terms in Albany.

Darrel Aubertine, the former commission for Agriculture & Markets who now works for the comptroller, appears to be skirting state regulations by allowing outside users to tap into his water supply.

In which The New York Times, milkbots and cows show how dairy farming is done.

Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural has ponied up the $1 million entrance fee to be considered as a future site of a state-sanctioned casino.

So has Caesars.

A former worker for Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino -- the Republican challenger to Cuomo -- is asking his fellow GOPers not to give money to his former boss.

Meanwhile, Astorino launched a critical video of Cuomo on Tuesday, calling the Democrat's first term a "cover-your-backside" administration.

How might Cuomo fight off a challenge from the Working Families Party? By quietly and steadily winning back key unions in the state.

An ally of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is set to plead guilty today involving charges that he took millions of dollars from a charity he ran.

Airbnb and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman squared off in court Tuesday. The AG's office wants records of people who've been selling nights in their homes to strangers through the website to see if back taxes are owed. Airbnb says the subpoena is overly broad.

Schneiderman, 1. Bed Bath & Beyond, 0.

Cuomo celebrated Earth Day by announcing improvement money for state parks already approved in this year's budget. Green Lakes is getting $5.2 million in improvements and new facilities.

Cuomo, 1. Clingy Darts, 0.

Syracuse, meet the DuraPatcher.

Tweet of the Day

NYPD Encourages Everyone To Tweet Photos With the Cops, Things Go Predictably Awry http://t.co/UymZ0gTFLm #mynypd pic.twitter.com/TW5WdF3yAe

— Village Voice (@villagevoice) April 23, 2014

Contact Teri Weaver at tweaver@syracuse.com, 315-470-2274 or on Twitter at @TeriKWeaver.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner and Sen. John DeFrancisco were praised for standing up to Gov. Cuomo; Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney was praised for having Cuomo's trust.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- City & State released its 2014 Power Albany 100 list late Tuesday, and Syracuse's mayor, senior state senator and the Onondaga County executive made the list.

Mayor Stephanie Miner, a Democrat in her second term, ranked No. 56, just after SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and ahead of state Sen. Diane Savino.

"Though Miner has resigned as co-chair of the state Democratic Party," City & State wrote, "she persists in being influential through the niche she has carved out for herself as a no-nonsense, straight-talking mayor with the guts to stand up to anyone, especially Gov. Cuomo."

Miner is the only Upstate mayor on the list; the only other mayor who made the Top 100 is New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney ranked No. 99. The only other county executive on the list is Rob Astorino (at No. 50), the Republicans' candidate to challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo this fall.

Miner and Sen. John DeFrancisco (No. 82) were praised for their straight talk and willingness to challenge Cuomo on certain issues. Mahoney (No. 99) was praised for having the governor's ear and trust.

The list is based on interviews and analysis by the website's staff, and it acknowledges that no ranking is perfect.

But the political scorecards are fun to flip through to see which state politicians rank first (Cuomo) and last (Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy), which journalists make the cut (Liz Benjamin, Ken Lovett, Tom Precious), and where the union leaders, lobbyists and activists fit in among the elected officials.

On DeFrancisco, the website said: "The veteran senator wields significant power simply by virtue of being one of the main lawmakers on the dais during budget hearings each year. A close friend of Dean Skelos', DeFrancisco is the highest ranking elected Republican in Syracuse and a trusted dealmaker in Albany. A renowned straight talker, DeFrancisco doesn't take flack from anyone, Gov. Cuomo included."

On Mahoney: "The Onondaga County Executive is continually floated as a possible running mate for Cuomo in 2016, even though she is a Republican--or perhaps because she is. While it's an unlikely scenario, particularly if the governor has national ambitions, Mahoney has already proven that she is one of the few Republicans and Central New York leaders, who has both Cuomo's ear and his trust."

Contact Teri Weaver at tweaver@syracuse.com, 315-470-2274 or on Twitter at @TeriKWeaver.

The DA's office will need to re-indict Quincy Lundy on murder charges, a judge ruled today.

Quincy Lundy 

Syracuse, NY -- A County Court judge today ruled that confusion over a Syracuse murder suspect's legal wishes forced the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office to seek a new indictment.

Quincy Lundy, 21, is accused of acting with his brother, Dron, 26, in the Oct. 19, 2012 shooting death of Walter Belle III. His indictment was filed March 25 of this year.

But County Court Judge Thomas J. Miller said Lundy requested to testify before the grand jury at the 11th hour, but was not allowed to do so. (Defendants have a legal right to testify before a grand jury.)

The judge said that neither Lundy's lawyer, Don Kelly, nor Senior Assistant District Attorney Melinda McGunnigle acted in bad faith, but ruled that the indictment was not valid.

Miller took the case off his calendar until Lundy is indicted again.

Walter Belle III, shown here with his fiance, was killed in Fall 2012. (Courtesy of Latia Dockery) 

Here's a timeline of the events, according to the judge:

Early March: Quincy Lundy's case presented to grand jury.

March 19: Lawyer Don Kelly takes over Lundy's defense.

March 20: Kelly leaves a voice mail indicating that Lundy does not want to testify before the grand jury.

March 21: Grand jury, at the end of its term, votes to charge Lundy with murder.

March 21 or March 24: Kelly sends message that Lundy had a change of heart. (The exact day, either Friday or Monday, was not determined.)

March 25 morning: Kelly provides written notice of Lundy's wish to testify.

March 25 afternoon: Indictment filed against Lundy.

The judge said that prior state court decisions show that a defendant has a right to request to testify up to the point an indictment is filed, even if the grand jury has already heard and voted on the case.

The fact Lundy originally declined to testify doesn't mean he can't change his mind, the judge ruled.

McGunnigle said Lundy's case would be presented before a grand jury again within two weeks.

Dron Lundy 

Dron Lundy's case is also facing a challenge after the GPS on his court-monitored ankle bracelet put him at two different places at the time of the murder.

A South Carolina man arrested last week for walking into a Walmart wearing only black sneakers says he accidentally

A South Carolina man arrested last week for walking into a Walmart in the middle of the night wearing only black shoes is blaming the incident on a drug mix-up.

Kevin Hughes, 36, told a WSOC-TV reporter that "It was an accident."

"I've had a problem with drugs in the past. I still like to do Ecstasy once in a while," Hughes said. "I accidentally got methamphetamine instead and it really made me crazy."

Police were called to the Tega Cay Walmart just before midnight on April 16 after employees spotted Hughes walking naked around the Health and Beauty section, WSOC reported. They arrived to find him in the electronics section and quickly escorted him out. Hughes was arrested for disorderly conduct and spent the night in jail.

In the interview with the WSOC reporter, Hughes is wearing the black shoes he wore the night of his naked walk. He told her he realized he was naked once he got into the store.

"I got some weird looks obviously," Hughes said.

Hughes account differed on the night he was arrested. He told officers he remembered falling asleep at his sister's house, then waking up naked in his truck at Walmart, according to WCNC-TV. He said that's when he decided he should go inside and buy some clothes.

"I'm really depressed because it's all over the news," Hughes said. "I mean, I'm going to have to move, y'know. I'm going to have to move because of this. I can't face anybody that I know here, y'know."

Watch The Associated Press' video video interview with Hughes above.

The Lysander Town Board will host an informational meeting at 7 p.m. tonight so that residents can learn more about the project.

Lysander, N.Y. -- Some Lysander residents are concerned with a proposed group home on Doyle Road in the town of Lysander.

Dorothy Alessio, who lives on Doyle Road, is upset that neighbors were never given an opportunity to voice their concerns about the facility.

Toomey Residential and Community Services Corporation, a nonprofit agency and an affiliate of Catholic Charities of Onondaga County, has purchased land at 3493 Doyle Road to build a community residence for eight children who have a mental health diagnosis.

The Lysander Town Board will host an informational meeting at 7 p.m. tonight so that residents can hear information about the project form Judith D'Amore, Toomey's executive director. D'Amore will present information about the residence and take questions from residents. The meeting will be held at the Lysander Town Hall, which is located at 8220 Loop Road in Baldwinsville.

Toomey purchased the land last month for $70,000 from Nancy Abbott. Abbott owned 8.8 acres on Doyle Road and in 2011 the town planning board approved the subdivision of the land into four residential building lots. The community residence is allowed under the residential zoning of the lot.

The community residence, which is for children ages 7 to 13 years, is currently located at a temporary location at the Elmcrest Children's Center campus in Syracuse. The proposed Dolye Road facility will have eight bedrooms, three bathrooms and an adequate amount of living space. The property will also include a fenced-in yard. The total project cost is $1.3 million.

Lysander Supervisor John Salisbury said the town does not have the ability to stop the community residence from being built.

"The town has not taken any position either in support of nor in opposition to the Doyle Road children's community residence," he said.

D'Amore formally notified the town with a letter dated March 20, 2013 that Toomey planned to build the community residence. New York Mental Hygiene Law, Section 41.24, states that the town had 40 days upon receipt of the notification to approve the site, suggest one or more alternatives sites or object to the establishment of a residence at this site "because to do so would result in such a concentration of community residential and similar facilities, that the nature and character of the area in proximity to the site would be substantially altered."

Salisbury said he does not recall receiving the letter in March 2013. The letter was also sent to other state and local officials.

Salisbury learned of the project earlier this year, well after the 40 days had expired. Salisbury said the town does not have a concentration of similar facilities and therefore would have either had to approve the site or suggest an alternative site. Because the town did not respond to the letter in the 40-day period, Toomey may proceed with the development of the proposed facility.

"The town board and town planning board have no jurisdiction," Salisbury said.

Children who will live in the residence will attend community-based schools or the Hutchings Day Treatment Program. The program utilizes community resources and children are involved in a variety of sports, clubs and community recreational activities. The residence is staffed 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Alessio said she has spoke with her neighbors and many of them share her concerns and plan to attend the meeting tonight.

"This group home will change the environment of this neighborhood for decades to come," Alessio said. "And we were never given the opportunity to voice our opinions."

Alessio said she has lots of unanswered questions about the facility and the project.

"The issue here is that an independent agency gets to come into a neighborhood and put up this million dollar structure and we don't have a say," she said. "Do we still have rights?"

Sarah Moses covers the northern suburbs of Onondaga County and Oswego County. Contact Sarah at smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298. Follow @SarahMoses315

Democratic National Committee chair will visit May 12 at Palace Theater.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, plans to visit Syracuse on May 12 to rally support for Rep. Dan Maffei's re-election campaign.

Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., will make a public appearance with Maffei in Central New York, and later headline a 5:30 p.m. fundraiser for the congressman at the Palace Theater in Syracuse, the Maffei campaign said today. Details on the time and place of the public appearance have not been confirmed.

The DNC chairwoman on Sunday disagreed with political analysts who say Democrats are likely to be trounced in this year's midterm elections. She said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that Republicans are likely to lose heavily because of their tendency to nominate "extremists."

Wasserman Schultz is the first big political name to confirm a visit to Central New York in this year's 24th Congressional District election between Maffei and Republican John Katko, of Camillus.

Some of the nation's top Democratic and Republican political figures visited the Syracuse area in the 2012 campaign because the 24th District is considered among the most competitive House seats in the nation.

In 2012, former President Bill Clinton and Gov. Andrew Cuomo headlined campaign rallies with Maffei. House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and former Rep. Allen West, a national Tea Party leader, visited Central New York to campaign for former Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle.

Contact Mark Weiner at mweiner@syracuse.com or 571-970-3751. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWeinerDC

Only one high school in Central New York ranked in the top 500 Best High Schools in the nation, according to a new report.

Fayetteville-Manlius High School has been named one of the best high schools in the nation in the recent U.S. News & World Report rankings, the only school in Central New York to make the top 500. The list is compiled annually.

F-M High School earned a gold medal by ranking 472 nationally out of 31,242 U.S. public high schools. It ranked 51st out of 1,147 high schools in New York state.

The rankings are based on state assessments, and how well schools prepare students for college. It is designed to reflect how high schools perform in serving all their students; not just those who are college-bound.

The 2014 Best High Schools rankings are compiled by U.S. News And World Report along with with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a behavioral and social science research organization.

F-M. with 1,577 students and 103 teachers, scored a 48 out of 100 for college readiness based on the percentage of students who took and passed Advanced Placement exams.

Along with that, a Best High School must:

Attain student performance levels that exceed statistical expectations given the school's relative level of student poverty, as measured by state accountability test scores for all students in reading and math.

The school also must must achieves proficiency rates on state tests for their least advantaged student groups that exceed state averages.

Statewide, four high schools made the top 100 in New York. F-M ranked 51st, Jamesville-DeWitt ranked 58, Fabius-Pompey 74th and Onondaga ranked 99th.

Wanda Trumble, 20, wants her $50,000 cash and $100,000 bond bail lowered. Watch video

Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse mother accused of seriously injuring her baby daughter -- who later died -- has sought to get her bail reduced for more than a month now.

But Wanda Trumble, 20, will have to wait even longer after lawyers asked a judge to delay her request for a third time today.

5-month-old baby Nataliah Trumble was beaten to death by her teenage mother, police said. 

The autopsy report for 5-month-old Nataliah Trumble has not been completed, more than five months after her death Nov. 10. County Court Judge Anthony Aloi granted the delay to May 13, noting that it was at the request of Trumble's lawyer, Ed Klein.

Trumble has remained in jail with bail set at $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond since November, when she's accused of shaking Nataliah and hitting her head on a wall.

A doctor called the injuries the most severe brain trauma he'd ever seen, according to court paperwork.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Doran said the autopsy should be completed "in the very near future."

The dispute comes because Wanda Trumble was arrested a day before Nataliah's death. She's in jail on a charge of reckless assault of a child, a lesser crime than a homicide charge.

Her lawyer argued that the bail should fit the crime she's charged with. But Klein acknowledged that Trumble could face homicide charges when indicted by a grand jury.

Trumble's family has also suggested that the baby's father, Joseph Molina, caused the baby's death.

Molina has defended himself, noting that he brought the baby to the hospital after finding her injured. But relatives accused him of convincing Wanda Trumble to take the blame.

David Remnick, Pleasant Rowland and Rosanne Cash among the big names involved in Central New York commencements

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- More than 15,000 Central New York college students will graduate in coming weeks.

Starting tomorrow with Bryant & Stratton College, commencement ceremonies will be held through May. Among the big names speaking at commencements are David Remnick, New Yorker editor, at Syracuse University, and Pleasant Rowland, creator of the American Girl doll brand, at Wells College.

Here's a rundown of upcoming college commencements in Central New York:

Bryant & Stratton College

When: 11 a.m. Saturday, April 26

Where: John H. Mulroy Civic Center, 421 Montgomery St.

Class: 311

Speaker: Kimberly Boynton, president and chief executive officer at Crouse Hospital

Open to the public: yes

TV/online: No

Cayuga Community College

When: 1 p.m. Sun. May 18

Where: Spartan Hall, Cayuga Community College

Class size: 527

Speaker: NY State Sen. John DeFrancisco

Open to the public? Yes

Available live streamed on TV or online? Yes, via Time Warner Channel 12

Cazenovia College

When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 17

Where: Cazenovia College Quad, Rain location: Schneeweiss Athletic Complex

Class: 190 graduates

Keynote speaker: Margot Cheney Jacoby, 1970 Cazenovia College alumna, instructor at Jefferson Community College.

Open to the public? Yes

TV/online: Livestream at http://new.livestream.com/cazenoviacollege

Colgate University

When: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 18

Where: Sanford Field House

Class: 700 graduates

Keynote speaker: Gloria Borger, chief political analyst for CNN and a member of the first coeducational class to graduate from Colgate, in 1974

Open to the public? No

TV/online: Livestream can be viewed at http://www.livestream.com/colgateuniversity

State University College at Cortland

Graduate Commencement

When: 7 p.m. Friday, May 16

Where: Park Center Alumni Arena

Class: 253

Undergraduate Commencement - two separate ceremonies

When: 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 17

Where: SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex

Class: 2,080

Speaker for the 9:30 a.m. ceremony: Barbara J. Ryan, '74, secretariat director of the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations in Geneva, Switzerland. Ryan coordinates the space-based observation activities of nearly 90 countries and 77 organizations to help policy makers address issues in agriculture, public health, disaster planning, energy, bio-diversity and climate change.

Speaker for the 2:30 p.m. ceremony: Wang Gongxin, an international video artist who introduced modern computer-aided video art to China. Gongxin was a visiting student at SUNY Cortland in 1987 and 1988 and helped inspire the creation of the college's new media design major.

Open to the public? No

TV/online: Yes. Time Warner cable in the immediate Cortland area on Channel 17. Televisions on the SUNY Cortland closed circuit televisions will feature both undergraduate ceremonies on Channels 2 and 17.

Crouse Hospital College of Nursing

When: 2 p.m. Thursday, May 22

Where: Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University

Class: 58 (finishing in May) and 84 (finished in the fall)

Keynote speaker: Jennifer Pichoske, director of nursing at Hematology Oncology Associates of CNY, former faculty member at Crouse Hospital College of Nursing.

Open to the public? Yes

TV/online: No

Hamilton College

When: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 25,

Where: Margaret Bundy Scott Field House

Class: 506 graduates

Keynote speaker: Christopher Dickey, author and journalist. Singer and songwriter Rosanne Cash will offer the Baccalaureate sermon at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 24, in the Scott Field House.

Open to the public? Yes

TV/online: Livestreamed at www.hamilton.edu/commencement

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

When: 10 a.m. Sunday, May 18

Where: Hobart Quadrangle

Rain Location: Robert A. Bristol '31 Field House

Class: Hobart 217 William Smith 189 (506 total)

Keynote speaker: Brad Falchuk '93, Emmy-award winning writer, producer and director

Open to the public? Yes

TV/online: Livestreamed at http://www.hws.edu/news/stream.aspx

It will also be broadcast live via weos.publicbroadcasting.net and via the college radio station, WHWS-FM and over WEOS-FM weos.publicbroadcasting.net

Le Moyne College

Undergraduate commencement:

When: 9:10 a.m. Sunday, May 18

Where: Thomas J. Niland Jr. Athletic Complex

Class: 600 undergraduates

Keynote speaker: Actor John Douglas Thompson, actor, Le Moyne class of 1985

Open to the public? Yes

TV/online: It will be webcast on www.lemoyne.edu and also broadcast on Time Warner cable (dates and times TBD)

Graduate degree commencement:

When: 7 p.m. Fri. May 16

Where: Henninger Athletic Center

Class: 220 graduates

Speaker: Dr. Robert Dracker, chief of pediatrics at Community General Hospital

Open to the public? Yes

Available live streamed on TV or online? No

Morrisville State College

When: 1 p.m. Saturday, May 17

Where: Morrisville State College Recreation Center

Class: 725 students (May and December graduates)

Keynote speaker: Madison County Sheriff Allen Riley

Open to the public? Yes but indoor seating is limited to ticket holders.

TV/online: Family members and guests may also view ceremony at several sites on closed circuit television. No tickets are required at television viewing sites: the Little Theatre in the Student Activities Center; Crawford Hall in rooms 103, 105, 107, and in all residence halls.

Onondaga Community College

When: 1 p.m. Saturday, May 17

Where: SRC Arena and Events Center

Class: 1,406 graduates

Keynote speaker: Graduating student Melinda Agnew, of Syracuse. Agnew majored in human services and plans to go into social work.

Open to the public? Yes

TV/online: Event will be live streamed on www.sunyocc.edu. The commencement will be rebroadcast at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 25, on WSYR TV's digital channel 9.2.

Saint Joseph's Hospital College of Nursing

When: 12 p.m. Sunday, May 18

Where: SRC arena on the Onondaga Community College campus

Keynote speaker: Barbara Vittel, past executive secretary to the New York State Board of Nursing

Class: 83

Open to the public? Yes

State University College at Oswego

When: Saturday, May 17

Three ceremonies will be held:

9 a.m. for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Keynote speaker: Peter Bocko, chief technology officer, Glass Technologies Group, Corning Inc.

1 p.m. for the School of Business and School of Communication, Media and the Arts

Keynote speaker: Mark Baum, senior vice president of industry relations, chief collaboration officer, Food Marketing Institute, Arlington, Va.

4 p.m. for the School of Education

Keynote speaker: Dr. Linda Clement, vice president for student affairs, University of Maryland

Where: Arena and Convocation Hall, Campus Center, for all three ceremonies

Class: 1,600

Open to the public? No

TV/Online: live over TimeWarner cable channel 96, and livestreamed at www.oswego.edu/academics/commencement/webcast.html

Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

When: 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 11

Where: Carrier Dome

Keynote speaker: David Remnick, a Pulitzer Prize winner and editor of the New Yorker

Class: 5,376 students (SU), 575 students (ESF)

Open to the public? Yes.

TV/online: Streamed online at http://sugrad.syr.edu

Upstate Medical University

When: Sunday, May 18

Four separate commencements with different times for each college. All commencements will be in theaters of the John Mulroy Civic Center, at 411 Montgomery St.

9 a.m. College of Health Professions, in the Crouse-Hinds Theater.

Class: 191

11:30 a.m. College of Nursing, in the Crouse-Hinds Theater.

Class: 158

12:30 p.m. College of Graduate Studies, in the Carrier Theater.

Class: 24

2 p.m. College of Medicine, in the Crouse-Hinds Theater.

Class: 170

Keynote speakers: John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, will address graduates from the colleges of Medicine and Graduate Studies.

Barbara Resnick, the Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz chair in gerontology at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, will address graduates from the colleges of Nursing and Health Professions.

Open to the public? No.

TV/online: No

Wells College

When: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17

Where: Front steps of Macmillan Hall on the Wells Campus

Class: 112

Keynote speaker: Pleasant Rowland, Wells class of '62

Open to the public? No.

TV/online: No

Contact Dave Tobin at 470-3277 or dtobin@syracuse.com or via Twitter: @dttobin

Detectives recovered 513 bags of heroin, 35 bags of cocaine and 14.4 grams of marijuana, police said.

Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse police recovered more than 500 bags of heroin from a raid at Bellevue Avenue home.

The Syracuse Police Department Special Investigation Division executed a search warrant at 607 1/2 Bellevue Ave., in the city of Syracuse in connection with a narcotics investigation.

Detectives recovered 513 bags of heroin, 35 bags of cocaine and 14.4 grams of marijuana, police said.

Jerry Goodwin, 32, of 607 1/2 Bellevue Ave., was charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 3rd degree; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, a felony; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 7th degree, a misdemeanor; criminal use of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor; and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation, police said.

This search is the result of an ongoing narcotics investigation and the Syracuse Police Department's effort to combat the recent spike in heroin sales and use in the Central New York area, according to police.

Goodwin is scheduled to be arraigned today in Syracuse City Court.

Sarah Moses covers the northern suburbs of Onondaga County and Oswego County. Contact Sarah at smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298. Follow @SarahMoses315

The meetings are in Liverpool, Fabius and Fayetteville.

Assemblyman Al Stirpe, D-Cicero.Submitted photo 

6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., April 30, Liverpool High School, 4338 Wetzel Road, Liverpool.
6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., May 1, Fabius Town Hall, Route 80, Fabius.
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., May 22, Fayetteville Free Library, Orchard Street, Fayetteville.

Contact Teri Weaver at tweaver@syracuse.com, 315-470-2274 or on Twitter at @TeriKWeaver.

Katko responds by suggesting a series of debates focused on the issues.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei today asked Republican opponent John Katko to join him in pledging to run campaigns for Congress that focus on issues, and reject spending from political groups or super PACs that do not disclose their donors.

If a political group makes "dark money" independent expenditures on behalf of Maffei or Katko, the candidates would agree to donate half of the amount to charity from their own campaign accounts, according to the pledge.

"I propose that we agree to run an issue-focused campaign that sticks to the facts, and that we issue a joint call for outside groups that do not publicly disclose their donors to refrain from spending on behalf of either of us," Maffei said in the letter to Katko.

Maffei, D-Syracuse, added, "This is an opportunity for us both to lead, and set a higher standard for our democracy. We should not pass it up."

In Maffei's 2012 campaign against former Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, the candidates and their outside supporters fought a bitter campaign marked by negative advertising and mudslinging. Political groups from outside of Central New York spent about $6 million on the election because the 24th District race was considered among the most competitive in the nation.

Katko responded to Maffei this morning with a letter that agreed the candidates should conduct an "honest, straightforward campaign" focused on the issues.

But the former federal prosecutor stopped short of agreeing to sign Maffei's proposed pledge. Katko, of Camillus, has about $100,000 in his campaign bank account, compared to $1.1 million for Maffei. At the moment, it would be difficult for Katko to make big donations to charity to match any spending from outside groups.

Katko instead proposed a series of issues-focused public debates with Maffei, beginning in June and continuing to November.

"Debates could be hosted by independent, nonpartisan organizations in each county with rules and moderators agreed to by both candidates," Katko wrote in his response to Maffei. Katko suggested dates for the debates on weeks in June through November when Congress is not in session.

"The creation of a healthy series of public exchanges will surely encourage the 'clean campaign' you now pledge to run," Katko wrote.

Contact Mark Weiner at mweiner@syracuse.com or 571-970-3751. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWeinerDC

Maffei's campaign pledge

Clean Campaign Pledge by The Post-Standard

John Katko's response

John Katko's response by The Post-Standard

The Window of Memories Adult Social Day Center is expected to open in mid-May.

A former adult home administrator is planning to open a new adult day care/social center in Manlius in the middle of May.

Cindy Carney Yates, who worked as an administrator at Sunnyside Adult Home in East Syracuse for 25 years, is opening Window of Memories Adult Social Day Center on Manlius Center Road, across from the Tim Horton's.

The center will be housed in the basement of an existing building at 6040 Manlius Center Road, near the intersection of Fremont Road. The center will be about 2,000 square feet and will be open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Snacks and meals will be provided.

Yates said she hopes to bring her experience in the field of caring for older adults to her new venture.

"A lot of people as they get older aren't quite sure what to do with their time, and we will offer a wide range of activities, a backyard for picnics, meals, and socialization," she said. "We see this as something for the elderly in our community, but also for their caregivers who need support.

"Sometimes older people want to stay in their homes, but they need a little help during the day, and we can offer that at the center," she said.

Yates expects to serve about 10 to 15 clients each day in the space, which is below a dentist's office. Yates has secured permission from the town of Manlius for her business.

She hopes to open in mid-May, and has started a Facebook page for the business.

Friends and family are holding a fundraiser for Eric Fritz from noon to 6 p.m. May 4, at Barbagallo's Restaurant, 6334 E. Molloy Road, East Syracuse.

Clay, NY - Eric Fritz, the Clay nurse who got a speeding ticket on the way to his liver transplant operation in December, has hit a bump in his recovery.

Doctors dissecting Fritz's old liver after his operation at Massachusetts General Hospital found cancer, said his father, Louis Fritz of Auburn. His son is receiving treatment for the cancer along with taking anti-rejection drugs to keep his body from rejecting his new liver, his father said.

"It's a balancing act between anti -rejection for the liver and the chemotherapy," Fritz said. "Right now he's doing fairly well."

Even with the setback, Fritz,, 39, a divorced father of three active children, has again been able to attend their athletic events, something he was unable to do prior to the transplant, his father said.

Friends and family are holding a fundraiser for Fritz from noon to 6 p.m. May 4, at Barbagallo's Restaurant, 6334 E. Molloy Road, East Syracuse.

Tickets prior to the event are $13 for adult and $8 for children. The cost at the door is $15 for adults and $10 children. There will be raffles, food, a cash bar, live music by Lee Terrace, Catastrophe Me, and DJ Kevin Smith.

St. Rose of Lima school will also hold a race and fun walk-run on May 31 to benefit Fritz. Registration is from 8 - 8:45 a.m., with the race beginning at 9 a.m. The fee is $30 for the 5K, and $15 for the one mile family run/walk.

Fritz has primary sclerosing cholangitis. PSC is thought to be an auto immune disease of the bile ducts in the liver that gradually leads to liver damage and failure. A liver transplant is the only cure.

The disease was diagnosed in 2008, but it had been quiet until February 2013, when Fritz awoke one morning to find he was jaundiced. Doctors told him he had liver failure.

In the days leading up to Christmas, Fritz received a call telling him that a new liver was available. As he was driving on his way to Massachusetts General Hospital for the transplant, a state trooper pulled him over on the state Thruway near Albany and gave him a ticket for speeding.

Even with the delay, Fritz made it to the hospital in time for the transplant operation.

Contact Charley Hannagan by voice or text at 315-470-2161, by email at channagan@syracuse.com, on Facebook at Neighbors West or on Twitter @charleypost.

How were two children in the backseat of Jenn Miles' vehicle saved?

Van Buren, N.Y. -- The fatal Interstate 690 accident that took the life of a beloved Baldwinsville teacher was a freak accident that could have been even more tragic, according to new details released by the state police.

Trooper Jack Keller said the state's Collision Reconstruction Unit is still investigating. Jennifer Miles, 33, died in the accident and two children -- aged 1 and 4 -- in the vehicle received minor cuts from broken glass.

"There are a lot of what-ifs," Keller said. "And a lot of questions."

Jennifer Miles Baldwinsville Central School District  

Miles was traveling in her 2013 Kia Sportage westbound on I-690 shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday. Nevada West III, 62, of Liverpool, was traveling eastbound on the highway. West was driving a 1999 Ford van that was hauling a dually boat trailer, a set of two wheels side-by-side on a axle on each side of the trailer. One of the wheels came off the axle and bounced across the highway.

Because the trailer had four wheels, West did not notice, Keller said. Another driver flagged him down.

The wheel and tire bounced into the westbound lane and hit Miles' vehicle on the hood near the top of the windshield. The impact collapsed the roof, killing Miles, Keller said.

The sunroof shattered on impact. The glass fell on the children, causing minor cuts, Keller said.

If the tire would have hit farther back on the vehicle, the children could have been seriously injured, he said.

The details show just how random the tragedy is. A few feet in one direction and Miles is spared, a few feet in the other direction and the children are victims.

A boat and trailer are loaded up and hauled away from the scene of an accident Thursday. Police said a tire came off the trailer, bounced across Interstate 690 and smashed into a car. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com 

Miles' car also could have continued after impact and crashed or been hit by another car, injuring the children. But the driver behind Miles was alert and braked quickly, Keller said. That driver stopped to help.

Investigators are also still trying to figure out how Miles' vehicle came to a stop, if she was killed instantly, Keller said.

West's trailer had not been inspected and was not registered. State police are talking with the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office and tickets are pending, Keller said. Keller said West is devastated over the accident.

Sarah Moses covers the northern suburbs of Onondaga County and Oswego County. Contact Sarah at smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298. Follow @SarahMoses315

Kids and grown-ups show us how to say "Syracuse"

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Everybody knows there's only one way to say "Syracuse."

Their way.

Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud called attention to the musicality of the city's name when he asked the SU community this week how they pronounce the word. Is it Deericuse? Or Bearicuse?

Anderson Cooper, the CNN anchor speaking at SU Thursday, weighed in saying the city's name rhymes with Deericuse.

In our unscientific poll of Syracuse.com readers, Deericuse has been edging out Bearicuse.

But we wanted to hear for ourselves, so we hit the street asking people to say the name of their city. Everyone said it right. See for yourself.

Dave Tobin can be contacted at 470-3277, dtobin@syracuse.com or via Twitter: @dttobin

The Boy Scouts won't be getting United Way money this year.

The United Way of Central New York announced this afternoon where the roughly $4 million it has collected from thousands of Central New Yorkers is going for the next funding cycle, which goes from 2014-2017.

There are two new winners on the list: the Rescue Mission, which helps the homeless throughout Central New York; and WHOLE ME, which provides services for families of deaf children.

Three community groups that had been funded in the past did not make the cut this time: the Jewish Community Center of Syracuse, Learning Disabilities Association of CNY and the Women's Opportunity Center.

In all, there were requests from 45 agencies for $9.5 million to fund 120 different programs. That's more than twice what the United Way has to give out, said spokesman Vince Spicola.

And this time around, there was $170,000 less to give out, Spicola said. The United Way did not release the dollar amounts each organization received.

The Boy Scouts, which have come under fire for their stance regarding gay scouts and scout leaders, again lost out for United Way funding. The leadership of the Boy Scouts changed its policy, and began allowing openly gay scouts last year. It still prohibits gay leaders, something the local Longhouse Council disagreed with.

The group was asking for money for a college readiness program, Spicola said.

The Longhouse Council of the Boy Scouts lost out on United Way money for the second time in a row. The group was last funded by the United Way from 2008 to 2011, Spicola said.

Here is the entire list of agencies that were funded:
ACR Health, Inc.
American Red Cross of Central New York
ARISE Child & Family Services, Inc.
AURORA of CNY, Inc.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Syracuse, Inc.
Catholic Charities of Onondaga County
Center for Community Alternatives
Child Care Solutions
Children's Consortium
Contact Community Services, Inc.
Elmcrest Children's Center
Exceptional Family Resources
Food Bank of Central New York
Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society
Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways, Inc.
Hillside Children's Center
Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection
Huntington Family Centers
InterFaith Works of CNY
Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse, Inc.
McMahon / Ryan Child Advocacy Center
On Point for College
P.E.A.C.E. Inc.
Rescue Mission
Salvation Army
Samaritan Center
Spanish Action League of Onondaga County, Inc.
Syracuse Jewish Family Service
Syracuse Northeast Community Center
Transitional Living Services of Onondaga County. Inc.
Vera House, Inc.
Welch Terrace Housing Development Fund, Inc.
WHOLE ME
YWCA of Syracuse & Onondaga County

Contact Marnie Eisenstadt at meisenstadt@syracuse.com or 315-470-2246.

Carbon dioxide levels 40 million years ago were about five times as high as today.

Syracuse, N.Y. -- A Syracuse University professor has co-authored a paper that says part of Antarctica's climate 40 million years ago was similar to that of Southern California's today.

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, bolster the theory that today's climate change could have its biggest effects at the poles and could hasten rising sea levels, said SU geology professor Linda Ivany.

View full sizeSyracuse University professor Linda IvanySubmitted photo 

Because the Arctic and Antarctic regions hold so much ice, climate scientists say, warming poles could cause dramatic increases in sea levels that could flood coastal cities where hundreds of millions of people live.

Researchers analyzed varying forms of carbon in clams to figure out ocean temperatures during the Eocene epoch, which lasted from 56 to 34 million years ago. That analysis showed that the ocean off the Antarctic Peninsula was about 60 degrees about 40 million years ago, Ivany said.

"It was kind of like the coast of Southern California today," she said.

The Antarctica Peninsula is the northernmost part of the continent and extends to about 600 miles from the southern tip of South America. The water temperature is about 30 degrees.

"It's an exceptionally cold place today," said Ivany, who has studied the ancient climate of the peninsula and nearby Seymour Island for about 15 years.

Ivany said the study also bolsters the theory that carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels could warm the planet in the future. Carbon dioxide levels 40 million years ago were about 2,000 parts per million. Today they are about 400 ppm, up from 339 in 1980.

Ivany worked on the paper with Peter Douglas and Hagit Affek at Yale University and five other researchers.

Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 315-470-3251. Follow him on Twitter @glenncoin