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Jamesville-DeWitt residents vote Tuesday on turf project

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J-D residents will vote Tuesday on an athletic stadium improvement project which includes artificial turf.

Jamesville-DeWitt school district residents will vote Tuesday on a proposed $3.1 million stadium project which includes artificial turf, a new running track and carpet replacement.

The vote will be from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the J-D High School main gym.

The project, which qualifies for more than $2 million in state aid, is estimated to cost voters 2 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or $2 a year for a $100,000 for the next 15 years.

A community group - the J-D Community Grounds for Action Coalition- spent two years trying to raise enough money to pay for the whole project, but fell short. Instead, the group agreed to turn over the more than $761,000 it has raised to the district to be used to offset the final cost of the project.

The project includes a new turf field, six-lane track and new lighting at the high school stadium -- along with carpet replacement in the high school band/choral room,.

The J-D project costs include $2.6 million for the 225-foot turf field and track, $400,000 for new stadium lights and $49,000 for the carpet.

Why carpeting in a $3 million stadium/track proposal?

By adding the $49,000 carpeting upgrade in the high school, the entire $3.1 million stadium improvement project qualifies for state aid. That cuts down the amount the district's taxpayers directly will have to pay if the project is approved by voters.

The district also will ask voters for approval to set up a turf replacement capital reserve fund.


Cuomo, Christie stress home quarantine for Ebola workers

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"We're staying one step ahead," Cuomo said Sunday night. "We're doing everything possible. Some people say we're being too cautious. I'll take that criticism."

NEW YORK (AP) -- State leaders in New York and New Jersey are at odds with scientists over Ebola as the states' governors back 21-day quarantines for medical workers returning from West Africa, while the nation's top infectious-disease expert warns that such restrictions are unnecessary and could discourage volunteers from aiding disease-ravaged countries.

The two governors late Sunday night emphasized separately that their policies permit home confinement for medical workers who have had contact with Ebola patients if the workers show no symptoms. They will receive twice-daily monitoring from health officials.

The emphasis on home confinement was at odds with the widely criticized treatment of a nurse returning from Sierrra Leone who was forcibly quarantined in a New Jersey hospital isolation unit even though she said had no symptoms and tested negative for Ebola.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said such quarantines in medical facilities would only be used in some cases, such as if the health care workers were from states other than New York or New Jersey. For workers under home confinement, family members will be allowed to stay, and friends may visit with the approval of health officials. Workers displaying any symptoms will go straight to the hospital.

"We're staying one step ahead," Cuomo said Sunday night. "We're doing everything possible. Some people say we're being too cautious. I'll take that criticism."

Under the protocols Cuomo detailed, the state also will pay for any lost compensation if the quarantined workers are not paid by a volunteer organization.

Cuomo had criticized Dr. Craig Spencer, who tested positive for Ebola on Thursday, for not obeying a 21-day voluntary quarantine. But on Sunday, he called the health care workers "heroes" and said his administration would encourage more medical workers to volunteer to fight Ebola.

For much of the weekend, the governors had been under fire from members of the medical community and the White House.

"The best way to protect us is to stop the epidemic in Africa, and we need those health care workers, so we do not want to put them in a position where it makes it very, very uncomfortable for them to even volunteer to go," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Meanwhile, Kaci Hickox, the first nurse forcibly quarantined in New Jersey under the state's new policy, said in a telephone interview with CNN that her isolation at a hospital was "inhumane," adding: "We have to be very careful about letting politicians make health decisions."

Saying the federal health guidelines are inadequate, Cuomo and Christie announced a mandatory quarantine program Friday for medical workers and other arriving airline passengers who have had contact with Ebola victims in West Africa, either in their homes or in medical facilities, and Illinois soon followed suit. Twenty-one days is the incubation period for Ebola.

"My personal practice is to err on the side of caution," Cuomo said. "The old expression is, 'Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.'"

The Obama administration considers the policy in New York and New Jersey "not grounded in science" and conveyed its concerns to Christie and Cuomo, a senior administration official told The Associated Press earlier Sunday. The official wasn't authorized to comment by name and insisted on anonymity.

Fauci made the rounds on five major Sunday morning talk shows to argue that policy should be driven by science -- and that science says people with the virus are not contagious until symptoms appear. And even then, infection requires direct contact with bodily fluids.

He said that close monitoring of medical workers for symptoms is sufficient, and warned that forcibly separating them from others, or quarantining them, for three weeks could cripple the fight against the outbreak in West Africa -- an argument that humanitarian medical organizations have also made.

"If we don't have our people volunteering to go over there, then you're going to have other countries that are not going to do it and then the epidemic will continue to roar," Fauci said.

Earlier this month, four members of a family in Texas that Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan stayed with before he died were confined to their home under armed guard after failing to comply with a request not to leave their apartment. Also, 75 Dallas hospital workers were asked to sign legally binding documents in which they agreed not go to public places or use mass transit.

The New York-area quarantine measures were announced after Spencer returned to New York City from treating Ebola victims in Guinea for Doctors Without Borders and was admitted to Bellevue Hospital Center Thursday to be treated for Ebola. In the week after his return, he rode the subway, went bowling and ate at a restaurant.

Hospital officials said Sunday that Spencer was in serious but stable condition, was looking better than he did the day before, and tolerated a plasma treatment well.

Hickox, the quarantined nurse who just returned from Sierra Leone, said she had no symptoms at all and tested negative for Ebola in a preliminary evaluation.

"It's just a slippery slope, not a sound public health decision," she said of the quarantine policy. "I want to be treated with compassion and humanity, and don't feel I've been treated that way."

Hickox has access to a computer, her cellphone, magazines and newspapers and has been allowed to have takeout food, New Jersey Health Department officials said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called Hickox a "returning hero" and contended that she was "treated with disrespect," as if she done something wrong, when she was put into quarantine. He said that she was interrogated repeatedly and things were not explained well to her.

"We want to see all medical personnel who are part of this fight to be treated with respect, and dignity and support," he said Sunday night.

Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who is on a trip to West Africa, said returning U.S. health care workers should be "treated like conquering heroes and not stigmatized for the tremendous work that they have done."

In other developments, President Barack Obama met Sunday with his Ebola response team, including "Ebola czar" Ron Klain and other public health and national security officials. According to a statement released by the White House, Obama said any measures concerning returning health care workers "should be crafted so as not to unnecessarily discourage those workers from serving."

Florida Gov. Rick Scott ordered twice-daily monitoring for 21 days of anyone returning from the Ebola-stricken areas.

The World Health Organization said more than 10,000 people have been infected with Ebola in the outbreak that came to light last March, and nearly half of them have died, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Fauci appeared on "Fox News Sunday," ABC's "This Week, NBC's "Meet the Press," CBS' "Face the Nation" and CNN's "State of the Union." Christie was interviewed on Fox and Power spoke to NBC.

10 most stolen cars in New York state: Do you own one?

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What cars get stole the most in New York state.

Honda Civic owners beware.

You own the mostly frequently stolen car in New York state.

Last year, about 16,000 cars were stolen in New York state, with the Civic being the most stolen car.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau, which is headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., each year gathers statistics on the 10 most stolen cars for the nation and each state. You can see the list for New York state in the photos above.

We also have taken the data and created a database so you can also look up any state to find the top 10 stolen cars in that state. Or check out your car and find out if its on any car thieves' top 10 car to steal.

(Tip: Subaru owners, stay out of Vermont.)

Top 10 stolen cars state-by-state: Find out if you own a car thieves like to steal

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What are the most popular cars to steal in each state?

We were looking up the top 10 most often stolen cars in New York state and figured why not let you check out the top 10 lists around the country.

We took the car theft data compiled by the National Insurance Crime Bureau each year and created a database that lets you check out any state to find out their top 10 most stolen cars.

And you can also check how popular your car is among car thieves in each state.

A few things we found:


  • Hondas made the top 10 lists in every state.

  • Saturns, a car that hasn't been made since 2009, made it on one western state's top 10 list.

  • Oldsmobile, the oldest American automobile marquee when it closed in 2004, made the top 10 list in one midwest state.

  • Half the top 10 stolen vehicles in Alaska, New Mexico and West Virginia are pick up trucks.


State-by-state top 10 stolen car lists
Online Database by Caspio



Click here to load this Caspio Online Database.

Syracuse man found hiding under sink changes tune, pleads guilty to murdering store owner

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Eric Woody will spend 25 years to life in prison when sentenced Nov. 17.

Eric WoodyEric Woody 

Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man accused of murdering a store owner who tried to reason with him admitted his guilt today.

Eric Woody, 25, pleaded guilty today to first-degree murder and will spend 25 years to life in prison when sentenced Nov. 17.

Woody had rejected a similar plea offer last month in the Oct. 1, 2013 robbery that led to Shqair Shqair's death. But facing a possible life sentence without chance of parole if convicted at trial, Woody changed his mind.

Related: Family describes Syracuse murder victim as hard-working immigrant raising 5 children

Woody shot Shqair to death while robbing Sabatino's Pizza & Deli on Ballantyne Road. The owner tried to negotiate with the robber, but Woody shot him anyway. The gunman then fled, but was found a month later hiding under a sink in Niagara Falls.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Melinda McGunnigle said Woody was also facing a weapons charge that could have been tacked onto his guaranteed life sentence had he gone to trial.

She said the "horrible" murder took the father from a family of five children. The family was happy that Woody would be punished, the prosecutor said.

Woody's lawyer, Sue Carey, spent the past year trying to poke holes in the prosecution's case. But state Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti ruled that a witness who identified Woody outside the store could be used at trial.

That witness testified that he recognized Woody, who he knew as "E," in the parking lot and they said: "What up" to each other in passing. He also claimed to recognize a sweatshirt the suspect was wearing, which he later used to cover his face in security footage of the murder.

Carey suggested that the witness was biased by photos of Woody published in the media while he was still on the run.

Gallery preview 
 

Apple Pay cut off at CVS, Rite Aid in favor of rival mobile payment system

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Many retailers are already invested in a different mobile payment system called CurrentC.

Apple Pay is already running into some roadblocks as both CVS Health and Rite Aid Inc. have stopped accepting the payments in their drugstores, according to reports.

Rite Aid started refusing the new mobile payment method last Thursday, and CVS cut the system off on Saturday, according to USA Today's report. A conflict between Apple Pay and a competing mobile payment system called CurrentC is allegedly responsible for both drug stores' decisions to turn off Apple Pay.

CurrentC is developed by a retailer consortium called Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), Bloomberg reported. CurrentC has been in development since 2011, and is currently being tested in locations around the country with plans for a national rollout next year. Walmart, Lowes, Best Buy and Target are among the members of the consortium.

The two payment systems are different from each other. Apple Pay relies on a near-field communication (NFC) chip to send payment information to the checkout terminal, while CurrentC generates a QR code that customers can scan to complete the transaction.

According to USA Today, many retailers are already invested in CurrentC, which offers an advantage to retailers because it works with existing checkout terminals. Apple Pay would require many retailers to upgrade to new equipment in order to communicate with the NFC chip in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Rite Aid and CVS are among some 220,000 merchants in the U.S. that already have terminals that can communicate with NFC chips. USA Today reports that the drugstores likely shut down Apple Pay for contractual reasons, or simply to support MCX and CurrentC.

Apple Pay was launched just weeks after the release of the iPhone 6. Users can make payments by holding their phone near a checkout terminal and keeping their finger on the phone's Touch ID sensor.

Apple announced a long list of participating retailers when the service was revealed, including Wegmans, Macys and Staples, but CVS and Rite Aid were not specifically confirmed.

"This act by CVS and Rite Aid heralds the advent of the imminent battle in the mobile pay system," Anindya Ghose, a marketing and information-technology professor at New York University, told Bloomberg. USA Today reported that retailers are not likely to exclude Apple Pay for long because consumer demand for NFC systems is expected to grow rapidly.

Have you tried Apple Pay yet? Leave a comment below.

Former Syracuse department store to get 16 more luxury apartments

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Developers plan to build 16 more apartments at Dey's Plaza, bringing the total to 61.

Syracuse, N.Y. — Dey's Plaza, the former Dey Brothers Department Store turned into a residential, retail and office center, is getting 16 more luxury apartments.

Developers Robert Doucette and Richard deVito of Paramount Realty Group plan to turn the fourth and fifth floors of the former downtown Syracuse department store into 16 apartments averaging 1,700 square feet.

Doucette said they hope to begun construction before the end of the year. The build-out will take about a year, he said.

Deys Plaza.JPGView full sizeDevelopers plan to add 16 more luxury apartments to Dey's Plaza at 401 S. Salina St. in downtown Syracuse. The former Dey Brothers Department Store building contains office and retail space, and 45 apartments.  

The new units will bring the building's total to 61 apartments. Rents for the apartments range from $1,200 to $1,650 a month, not including utilities. All 45 of the existing apartments in the building are leased.

Doucette said the fourth and fifth floors formerly were occupied by office tenants, but the 30,000 square feet of space is now vacant.

He said the developers have been unable to find new office tenants for the space, so they made the decision to convert the two floors to apartments.

"It's really very nice living downtown," said Doucette, who has taken up residence in one of the units. "It's a great place to live."

The cost of the conversion will be $2.8 million, according to an application the developers filed with the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency for an exemption from sales taxes on construction materials. The agency will hold a public hearing Nov. 18 on the requested exemption, which the developers estimate would save them $76,800.

Located at the southeast corner of South Salina and East Jefferson streets, Dey's Plaza is a mixed-use building. In addition to 45 apartments, it has several office tenants, the largest being Bank of New York Mellon, which recently renewed its lease for three years. A Cafe Kubal coffee shop is on the first floor.

The historic building was built in 1893 for Dey Brothers
Department Store. The store, which was named Addis & Deys in its last years, closed in 1993. It was acquired by an entity created by the city of Syracuse and converted into offices in 1995, with Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. occupying 120,000 square feet, or about half the building.

Doucette and deVito bought the landmark from the Syracuse Economic Development Corp. for $6.7 million in 2009 and converted much of it to apartments the next year.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148


Gillibrand, local officials in Oswego seek ban on microbeads harming Lake Ontario fish

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Environmentalists say microbeads could have a devastating effect on the Great Lakes fish populations and the related tourism industry.

OSWEGO, N.Y. (AP) -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is joining local officials in a Lake Ontario community to call on federal lawmakers to pass legislation that would prohibit the use of tiny plastic microbeads in personal care products.

In July, the New York Democrat urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to list microbeads as Great Lakes contaminants. Microbeads used in products such as facial scrubs and hand cleaners can wash into bodies of water, where they can be ingested by birds and fish.

Related story: Is your favorite skin product filling the Great Lakes with little plastic beads?

Environmentalists say microbeads could have a devastating effect on the Great Lakes fish populations and the related tourism industry.

Gillibrand is joining leaders of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, the mayor of Oswego and the chairman of the Port of Oswego Authority's board of directors at a Monday afternoon news conference to push for action banning microbeads.


The s-word appears in the forecast for CNY: Snow

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Will this be a white Halloween?

Syracuse, N.Y. -- When even the normally cautious National Weather Service is talking about snow a week away, it's time to pay attention.

The two forecasting models most used by the National Weather Service agree that snow is likely overnight Friday and into Saturday morning, but disagree on where that snow might fall. The GFS model shows snow over Central New York, but the Euro model says snow will stay mostly in the Adirondacks, the weather service said.

"We're not talking about a major storm," said weather service meteorologist Mike Jurewicz. "We're talking, worst-case scenario, maybe a couple of inches over the higher elevations."

AccuWeather.com says we could see 3 inches of snow.

It's pretty typical to see early season snowfall on the hills first simply because it's colder up there, Jurewicz said.

The snow should fall after trick-and-treaters are safely at home Friday night, the weather service said.

Temperatures will be in the 30s over the weekend.

"It's probably the chilliest stretch we've had so far," he said.

This would be the first measurable snowfall of the season. The earliest date in the fall that snow has been recorded in Syracuse is Oct. 1. The record for Nov. 1 is 6.7 inches, set in 1993.

The weekend's cold temperatures will follow the near-record warmth of Tuesday.

Contact Glenn Coin: Email | Twitter | Google + | (315) 470-3251

Dallas airport passenger tackled by bystanders after anti-gay attack (video)

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An enraged passenger launched into an anti-gay tirade against another man who was wearing a pink shirt.

A man was arrested in Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport last week after yelling homophobic slurs at another man, then violently assaulting him.

The ugly scene was captured on video and uploaded to YouTube by Andrew Kennedy, who wrote in the video description that he started recording after hearing "a loud and seemingly escalating commotion" while waiting for his flight. The clip went viral over the weekend.

The angry man can be heard swearing and insulting another man who is wearing a pink shirt. Bystanders attempt to calm him down, with one man in a cowboy hat asking the enraged man what he's upset about.

"Queers!" the man responds, "That's what I'm upset about. This [expletive] right here."

The unidentified attacker then kicks and slaps the man in the pink shirt, before bystanders intervene.

The man in the cowboy hat becomes enraged and helps tackle the assailant to the ground while shouting a series of profanities at the attacker.

Police join the brawl and restrain the man. He then begins spitting racist comments at the arresting officers, who were black. At one point, he attempts to headbutt one of the officers in the groin.

The Washington Post reported that the man may have been intoxicated.

According to The Dallas Morning News, the airport has confirmed the video's authenticity , though police have not released a report identifying the attacker.

WARNING: The video below contains extremely explicit language that may be disturbing and inappropriate for some viewers.

DA Fitzpatrick and Ed Menkin begin cold-case murder trial with debate over victim's handcuffing

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Ronald Meadow stands trial this week before County Court Judge Anthony Aloi.

ronaldmeadow.jpgRonald Meadow 

Syracuse, NY -- A Georgia man faces trial this week in the 1985 murder of his estranged wife, Colleen.

Ronald Meadow was arrested last December after DNA reportedly linked him to Colleen's strangulation death on March 5, 1985. Colleen Meadow was found hog-tied in her apartment at 114 Fordham Road, in Syracuse.

Her estranged husband had always been the prime suspect, but there wasn't enough evidence to arrest him until recently, authorities said. A lawyer who once represented Meadow called it "one of the weakest cases I've seen."

The DNA that linked Meadow to the murder came from a scraping taken from under her fingernail. But Meadow's lawyer has said that a hair taken from the belt used to kill her did not belong to Ronald Meadow.

meadowcrop.jpgMurder suspect Ronald Meadow, guarded by jail deputies, appears before County Court Judge Anthony Aloi (not pictured). 

District Attorney William Fitzpatrick and Assistant District Attorney Robert Moran are prosecuting this week's trial before County Court Judge Anthony Aloi. Defense lawyer Ed Menkin is representing Ronald Meadow. This is the first time Fitzpatrick and Menkin have squared off against each other in a murder trial. But they're expected to do this again next year in the trial of Dr. Robert Neulander, also accused of murdering his wife.

Before jury selection in Meadow's trial today, the lawyers had one final debate regarding evidence of the Meadows' tumultuous 7-year marriage.

The debate centered on statements Colleen Meadow made to two friends about her husband handcuffing her to keep her from leaving her Syracuse apartment.

Prosecutors want to ask the two friends about the handcuffs during the trial. But Menkin argued that the evidence would be prejudicial.

colleenmeadow.jpgColleen Meadow 

He noted that the alleged handcuffing incident happened roughly five years before Colleen Meadow was murdered.

But Aloi said he would allow the testimony as evidence of Meadow's possible intent and motive, as well as the nature of the couple's relationship. The evidence could not be taken as evidence of the defendant's predisposition or predisposition to commit the murder itself.

Both sides noted that there was other evidence that the Meadows had a rocky relationship, including alleged threats and abusive behavior. That evidence came after the handcuffing incident, before Colleen's death.

Jury selection began around 11:15 a.m. this morning.

Earlier coverage:

» Ronald Meadow charged with murdering wife in 1985 Syracuse cold case after 'risky' decision

» Colleen Meadow's sister: 'She was ripped away from her family and friends without warning'

 

Report: Seneca County casino would 'cannibalize' Turning Stone, threaten Onondaga Lake amphitheater

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Property taxes could be raised to pay off amphitheater debt

Rome, N.Y. -- A new casino in Seneca County would "cannibalize" revenues from Turning Stone casino and threaten construction of an amphitheater on Onondaga Lake, says a report issued today.

Unemployment would rise in Onondaga County, too, if the planned casino in Tyre is built, says the report issued by Mohawk Valley EDGE, the economic development agency in Oneida County.

(You can read the complete report below.)

"We know from Atlantic City's demise that when it comes to gaming, oversaturation and cannibalization can result in an epic economic disaster," said Steven J. DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE.

Two-thirds of the revenue generated by a casino in Tyre would come from other casinos in New York, said the study, prepared by a political science professor at the University of Texas - Pan American. Revenues at Turning Stone could drop $55 million a year, the report says.

Turning Stone gives 25 percent of its gaming machine revenue to the state, which then gives much of that back to 10 counties in Central New York.

Onondaga County legislators are slated to vote Monday to borrow nearly $50 million to build the amphitheater on the west shore of Onondaga Lake. They would use the estimated $2.5 million in annual Turning Stone revenues to pay off the bonds for the amphitheater over 30 years.

If Turning Stone revenues fall, the casino report says, the amount going to Onondaga County could fall, too.

"The potential loss or reduction of these funds may place those bonds in jeopardy, but also jeopardize the construction jobs and permanent operations jobs that will be generated by the amphitheater, as well as the jobs dependent on ancillary tourism expenditures generated by the amphitheater," the report said.

The resolution that county legislators will consider Monday says that if the casino money falls short, the county could raise property taxes to pay off the amphitheater debt.

"This report is a bombshell," said county legislator Kevin Holmquist, a critic of the amphitheater plan. "I can't imagine any legislator supporting this amphitheater and encumbering our taxpayers for 30 years on the heels of this damning report."

The state plans to allow construction of four new casinos in New York following approval by voters a year ago. The Tyre casino is in the running, but no final decisions have been reached.

Tom Wilmot, the developer proposing the Seneca County casino, said the new report's numbers are inflated. He said the Tyre casino would probably draw $30 million away from Turning Stone, not $55 million, and Turning Stone would remain highly profitable.

"I'm not crying any tears over it," Wilmot said. "The best thing for the customer is to have a little competition. It gives the gamer a choice and probably gets him a little better deal."

Wilmot said he expects the state to decide after next week's election which casinos would be built.

Contact Glenn Coin: Email | Twitter | Google + | (315) 470-3251

Market .Impact of a Proposed Tyre, New York Casino on Turning Stone.final.10.27.2014

121st Assembly District: Magee, Salka on the Safe Act (videos)

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The two candidates for the 121st Assembly district offer their views on the NY Safe Act. Watch video

Incumbent Assemblyman Bill Magee, a Democrat, and his Republican challenger John Salka discussed their views on the Safe Act.

The two candidates both disagree with the Safe Act. Magee voted against the measure,

The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, commonly called the Safe Act, was signed into law January 2013. It is a gun control law which was written following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Assemblyman Magee said the Safe Act was passed in the middle of the night with little time for discussion about what it really meant. He says he voted against the measure.

Magee, 75, is the longest-running Assemblyman in Central New York.

 

His challenger, Salka, 50, said he would call for a total repeal of the Safe Act legislation if he is elected to the Assembly.

In the video, he calls the Safe Act legislation "a knee-jerk reaction" to a tragedy which is ineffective and isn't the "right fit" as a tactic to stop gun violence, he says in the video.

 

You can look up your Assembly district and other voter information on syracuse.com

The election is Nov. 4.

Maffei vs. Katko: Where the 24th Congressional candidates stand on the issues

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A guide for voters on what the NY-24 candidates say about jobs, minimum wage, immigration, the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and more. Watch video

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Here's a look at where U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei and challenger John Katko stand on some of the issues in their campaign for the 24th Congressional District seat.

THE BIOS

Katko: Republican Katko, 51, of Camillus, is making his first bid for public office. He retired from the U.S. Justice Department in January after a 23-year career as a federal prosecutor. Katko served as chief of the organized crime division in the Northern District of New York. The Fairmount native is married to Robin Katko. The couple has three sons, Sean, Liam and Logan. Katko also will appear on the Conservative Party and Independent Party lines on the ballot.

Maffei: Democrat Maffei, 46, of Syracuse, is completing his second term in Congress. This is his fifth campaign for the Syracuse-area congressional seat. He won twice in presidential election years in 2008 and 2012, but lost in 2006 and 2010. Prior to seeking office, he spent a decade working in Congress for U.S. Sens. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., and Rep. Charles Rangel, D-Harlem. The Syracuse native is married to Abby Davidson Maffei. The couple had their first child, a daughter Maya, in July. Maffei also will appear on the Working Families Party line on the ballot.


JOBS AND THE ECONOMY

Katko: Supports lowering and simplifying the federal tax rate for businesses, and providing tax credits for businesses to train new employees, closing the skills gap. He has not proposed a specific tax rate. He wants to require the federal government to consider costs to small businesses before enacting new regulations. He supports making permanent the federal research and development tax credit that expired at the end of 2013.

Maffei: He supports an across-the-board tax rate for businesses in the mid-20 percent range, down from the current top rate of 35 percent, and closing tax loopholes. He introduced legislation to provide a business tax credit for companies to defray the cost of training new employees. Voted for a House bill that would require federal agencies to consider the potential costs and benefits of new regulations. He voted to make permanent the research and development tax credit. He views exports and building new infrastructure - including rail, port and airport improvements - as a key to economic growth in Central New York.

07052014- citizenaction-mb.JPGLaura Brown, of the Workers' Center of Central New York, speaks at a Citizen Action rally about the minimum wage in front of a Burger King on Erie Boulevard in Syracuse, N.Y., in this July 5, 2014 file photo.

MINIMUM WAGE

Katko: Opposes President Barack Obama's proposal to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour. Supports unspecified incremental increases over time. He cites a Congressional Budget Office report that found the higher wage could result in the short-term loss of 500,000 jobs nationwide with the higher wage.

Maffei: Supports the proposed minimum wage increase to $10.10 per hour, which would occur in increments over several years. Supports linking the increased wage with tax breaks for small businesses to ease the burden of the higher costs.

Related video: Maffei, Katko talk about the minimum wage

MEDICARE

Katko: Opposes Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's plan that encourages future recipients under age 55 to buy private health insurance using government-funded vouchers. He says benefits should not be reduced for current retirees or those nearing retirement under any circumstances. But he is open to the idea of reducing costs by cutting future benefits for younger people entering the workforce.

Maffei: Opposes the Republican plan to reform Medicare for future recipients, saying it is a "sacred trust" and it would be wrong to issue government vouchers or ask seniors to purchase their own private insurance. Supports allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices with drug companies, a move that he says would save more than $150 billion over 10 years.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Katko: He opposes any decrease in benefits for seniors currently receiving Social Security payments, or those nearing retirement. Opposes raising the cap on the amount workers are taxed on their earnings by Social Security. Opposes any proposal to privatize Social Security with investment accounts.

Maffei: Opposes any plans to privatize Social Security or cut benefits for any age group. He opposes any increase the retirement age for future recipients. He supports increasing the long-term health of Social Security by raising the cap on the amount workers are taxed by Social Security on their earnings. In 2014, workers don't pay Social Security tax on earnings of more than $117,000.


AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Katko: Opposes the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, but would not vote to repeal the law unless it could be replaced with a viable alternative. Favors working in a bipartisan manner to come up with a plan that offers health care coverage for all "but it has to be much less government focused" and more market driven. Supports keeping some popular aspects of the law, including requirements for coverage of people with pre-existing conditions and allowing children to remain on their parents' policy until age 26. Opposes a medical device tax included in the original law.

Maffei: Supports making changes to improve the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress in 2010. He opposes any efforts to repeal the law. Maffei opposes the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device manufacturers and has written legislation to repeal that aspect of the law. Opposes cuts in federal reimbursement payments to hospitals that care for the uninsured. Supports giving businesses more time to comply with the law's mandates.

NATIONAL DEBT AND BUDGET DEFICIT

Katko: Supports an immediate end to deficit spending to help eliminate annual budget deficits and reduce the $17.5 trillion national debt. He would have voted against the December 2013 bipartisan budget deal, but opposes fiscal brinkmanship that threatens default. Supports crackdown on waste and fraud at federal agencies, and deep spending cuts at some agencies including the Department of Education.

Maffei: Supports balancing the budget by closing corporate tax loopholes, eliminating tax breaks for oil companies, and reducing money spent on "nation building" overseas. Voted for the December 2013 bipartisan deal for a two-year federal budget, rolling back sharp spending cuts caused by sequestration.

Related video: Katko, Maffei talk about the national debt

IMMIGRATION REFORM

Katko: Opposes a bipartisan immigration reform bill that passed the U.S. Senate by a 68-32 vote in June 2013. Disagrees with provision to provide a path to citizenship for the

2014-07-18-gw-protest0064.JPGDueling protestors met on a street corner in Syracuse, N.Y., on July 17, 2014, to express support or opposition to a proposal to temporarily house children awaiting deportation at the former Maria Regina College and convents owned by the Sisters of St. Francis. Nearly 60,000 children unaccompanied by parents were accused this year of illegally entering the United States from Mexico.
11 million immigrants in the United States without legal status, but does not want to deport law-abiding, productive workers. Opposed a federal plan to send hundreds of immigrant children to Syracuse for temporary housing while they await deportation.

Maffei: Supports the bipartisan immigrant reform bill that passed the U.S. Senate in June 2013. Supports increased security at borders as a condition for reforms. Opposes general amnesty, but supports a path to citizenship for immigrants with skills needed in the United States. He says it's up to the community to decide on a federal plan to send hundreds of immigrant children to Syracuse for temporary housing while they await deportation.

Contact Mark Weiner anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751

Forever love: Elderly man brings photo of his wife to dine with at restaurants 5 years after her death

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This man's story of his one true love warmed hearts around the world.

A photo of an elderly man dining alone with a picture of his deceased wife has gone viral, touching hearts around the world.

The unidentified man has been seen several times dining at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in California, The Daily Mail reported. He brings with him a photo of his wife, which he gazes at while he dines.

A photo of the man was first uploaded to imgur, where the user who posted it shared the man's tale of a storybook romance between he and his wife of 55 years:

"They met when they were both 17. They dated briefly, then lost contact when he went to war and her family moved. But he said he thought about her the entire war. After his return, he decided to look for her. He searched for her for 10 years and never dated anyone. People told him he was crazy, to which he replied "I am. Crazy in love". On a trip to California, he went to a barber shop. He told the barber how he had been searching for a girl for ten years. The barber went to his phone and called his daughter in. It was her! She had also been searching for him and never dated either."

According to the user, who goes by soulrose, the man immediately proposed and the pair were married for 55 years before she died in 2009.

He said he carries her picture everywhere and kisses it goodnight.

The photo has been shared more than 8000 times on Twitter, and has over 11,000 points on imgur.

According to the post, the man shared several choice words of wisdom, including:

  • "I was a very rich man. Not with money, but with love"
  • "I never had a single argument with my wife, but we had lots of debates"
  • "People are like candles. At any moment a breeze can blow it out, so enjoy the light while you have it."
  • "Tell your wife that you love her everyday. And be sure to ask her, have I told you that I love you lately?"
 

Burned and wounded Army veteran can play golf again, thanks to two SUNY students' invention

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Wounded Ret. U.S. Army Veteran Rick Yarosh can play golf again thanks to a special club engineered for him by two college students.

U.S. Army Ret. Sgt. Rick Yarosh suffered burns over 60 percent of his body when an IED exploded while he was serving in Iraq in 2006

The 32-year-old Windsor native lost his ears and nose, his leg, his pinkies and parts of other fingers. Yarosh has had a long road to recovery which has included more than 50 surgeries and 100 procedures.

Before he joined the Army, Yarosh had begun playing golf and was getting quite proficient at it. When he lost the use of his fingers and much of the function in both hands, he could no longer play.

That all changed for him Tuesday, when two SUNY Polytechnic Institute students presented him with a golf club specially they designed just for him. The institute in Utica was formerly called SUNYIT.

Nicholas Arbour, of Herkimer, and Adam Peters, of New Hartford, met Yarosh and began working on the golf club in January. They tried various designs and met with Yarosh several times before finding a club that works for him.

"I'm so happy,'' Yarosh said. "I tried the club and I could hit the ball with it quite a distance. Now I can go out with my friends again and play golf. It's an incredible feeling."

Yarosh, who works part-time at the Sitrin Health Care Center and assists with its military rehabilitation program, had searched for an adaptive golf club he could use, but couldn't find any that worked for him.

The club engineered by the two students works using a modified wrist guard that attaches to Yarosh's forearm with Velcro. Two pistons attach to a pair of clamps that then attach to the club itself.

Yarosh then swings the club with his left arm, gripping a handle - which is like a fat Sharpie marker - to help control his swing.

The students studied the golf swings of pro golfers to come up with their design, and made three prototypes using a 3-D printer before making their selection.

After his injuries, Yarosh said he didn't have any sports he could play.

"I used to wrestle and play football, and I like to be competitive,'' he said. "It was another piece of my life that I lost, and these two helped me get that back."

Arbour, one of the students, said he is part of the Air Force ROTC at Syracuse University, and enjoys helping veterans. "We are proud that we could help Rick,'' he said.

The two presented Yarosh with the club at a special ceremony Tuesday at Sitrin Medical Rehabilitation Center in New Hartford.

"We're pleased and proud that Nicholas and Adam were able to turn their classroom learning into a real-world solution," William W. Durgin, SUNY Poly provost, said in a news release. "Their commitment is exemplary, and it sets a fine example of the power of project-based learning that can make such a difference in our community."

The two students received an "A" for their project.

"I would have written to their professor and protested if they didn't get an A,'' Yarosh said. "They worked really hard at this, and it means a lot to me."

Fireball Cinnamon Whisky recalled in Europe over sweetening ingredient also used in antifreeze (update)

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Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is being recalled in Finland, Sweden and Norway over a non-toxic chemical also found in antifreeze.

Fireball_Whisky.jpg 

Bottles of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky have been recalled in Finland, Sweden and Norway because levels of an ingredient also used in antifreeze were found to be out of compliance with European regulations.

The Daily Beast reported that the whiskey's European bottler told the company they were out of compliance late last week when they detected levels of the chemical propylene glycol that were higher than usual. Propylene glycol is used in antifreeze, but it also has industrial and cosmetic uses, and can be used as an ingredient in food production. In Fireball's case, it's a sweetener.

According to the Beast, Fireball has two recipes: One for Canada and United States production, and one for Europe. The European version has less propylene glycol to match up with different production standards. Fireball mistakenly shipped a batch meant for the U.S. to Europe.

Earlier reports on the recall suggested that there was a concern over the chemical being toxic, but a legal representative for Sazerac Corp., the maker of Fireball Whiskey, reached out to syracuse.com with a statement calling those claims "false and misleading" and clarifying the situation:

"Fireball is absolutely not toxic, and there is no evidence anywhere that it is. It is perfectly safe for consumption. And while propylene glyclol has many uses, including industrial uses, it is primarily used as a safe additive in food products such as salad dressings, ice creams, popcorns, and pastries, and in toiletry products like hair gels, lotions, mouthwash, and toothpastes."

According to the Food and Drug Administration, the chemical is "generally recognized as safe," and the Beast notes that Fireball uses less than one eighth the amount of propylene glycol allowed by FDA regulations.

Snopes clarified the specific amounts of the chemical allowed in food production. European products are limited to 0.1 grams of propylene glycol per kilogram of the substance being produced. Products in the U.S. are limited to 5 grams per kilo.

Vatican exorcist blames Halloween for increased possessions, calls for 'Holyween'

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"Holyween" would replace Oct. 31 with Masses, prayer vigils and worship.

Is All Hallow's Eve really an evil holiday? A Vatican exorcist is blaming Halloween for a spike in demonic possessions around the world.

The Daily Mail reports the International Association of Exorcists (also known as the AIE) held its first official conference over the weekend in Rome. More than 300 exorcists attended after being officially recognized by the Vatican this summer.

Father Aldo Buonaiuto told the British publication that his organization's emergency number receives hundreds of calls on Oct. 31, up from an average of 40 per day, due to concerns about increased occult activity.

"Many say Halloween is a simple carnival, but in fact there is nothing innocent or fun about it," he said. "There are always more evil rituals, animal sacrifices, desecrations of cemeteries and thefts of sacred bones... From here the door to the devil can be opened."

According to the Religious News Service, AIE spokesman Valter Cascioli told Vatican Radio there has been a "steady increase" in possessions.

"The battle against evil is becoming more of an emergency. We are calling for major vigilance," Cascioli added.

As a result, the Catholic Church in Italy wants to replace the night of costumes and trick-or-treating with a positive event called "Holyween."

"While most people are steeped in zombies and horror we put on our door or windows a light or an image evocative of the saints," Buonaiuto said in a statement. "And then there will be Masses, prayer vigils and worship to celebrate the saints and victory of good over evil."

According to the Daily Mail, Pope Francis sent a message to the AIE conference about treating the possessed with "love and kindness from the church towards those who suffer because of the evil one."

Exorcisms, or the expulsion of spirits from a person believed to be possessed, are a popular story in horror movies like "The Exorcist" and "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," but occur in real life. The Religious News Service notes Rev. Gabriele Amorth, 89, writes about allegedly performing more than 50,000 exorcisms in his new book "The Devil: A Contemporary Inquest."

Report: Investigator in Secret Service prostitution scandal has resigned amid implication in his own prostitution incident

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Current and former department officials say that investigator David Nieland left the government in August.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The investigator who led the Homeland Security Department's internal review of a prostitution scandal involving Secret Service agents on assignment in Colombia in 2012 has himself resigned over an incident involving a prostitute in Florida, The New York Times reported.

Current and former department officials say that investigator David Nieland left the government in August after refusing to answer questions from the department's inspector general about the Florida incident, the Times said in an article posted its website Tuesday night.

Nieland has told congressional staffers that he was pressured to leave out of the report on the Secret Service scandal that a White House volunteer had brought a prostitute to his room. However, the congressional staffers and the White House have said that no evidence supported that allegation.

Officials briefed on the Nieland investigation said that in May, sheriff's deputies in Broward County, Florida, saw him entering and leaving a building they had under surveillance as part of a prostitution investigation, the Times reported. Deputies later interviewed a prostitute who identified Nieland in a photograph and said he had paid her for sex, according to the newspaper.

Nieland has not been charged. He said in an email that "the allegation is not true" and declined to answer any questions, the newspaper reported. He resigned Aug. 9, citing health problems, and later sent a tweet that his government career had ended, according to the newspaper.

A Homeland Security Department spokesman, William O. Hillburg, confirmed to the Times that Nieland had resigned and that officials had become aware of an incident in Florida that involved one of its employees. Under law, no comment could be offered on a specific case, Hillburg said.

Thirteen Secret Service agents and officers were implicated in a prostitution scandal that arose from preparations for President Barack Obama's trip in April 2012 to the seaside resort of Cartagena, Colombia. They were accused of carousing with female foreign nationals at a hotel where they were staying before Obama's arrival. Nine of the officers and agents eventually left the agency -- resigned, forced out or retired.

Nieland, the head of the inspector general's Miami office at the time, led the Homeland Security Department investigation into how the Secret Service handled the scandal. He later told staff members of a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee that he had been asked to delete derogatory information from the 65-page public report issued in September 2012 because it was potentially damaging to the administration two months ahead of the November election, the Times reported.

Nieland told the Senate staffers that the deleted information was that a volunteer member of the White House advance team in Cartagena also had a prostitute in his room, the newspaper said. The subcommittee later said that it had not found any evidence to substantiate that claim. The White House said it had not intervened in the report's preparation and that it had not found evidence to support the allegation against the volunteer, the Times reported.

New app notifies Twitter users if their friends send tweets with suicide thoughts

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The Samaritans Radar app scans tweets for keywords related to suicidal thoughts to identify users struggling to cope.

Suicide prevention charity Samaritans launched a free Web app Wednesday that alerts Twitter users if anyone they're following sends a tweet containing suicidal-related words or phrases.

samaritans radar logo.png 
The group created the Samaritans Radar app "to give you a chance to help friends who need support," according to the app's website.

To sign-up for the service, Twitter users need only to visit the website and authorize the app's use. Wired reports that the app's algorithm scans Twitter for specific keywords and phrases within a tweet that raises concerns. According to the app's website, these phrases include: "tired of being alone," "hate myself," "depressed," "help me" and "need someone to talk to."

When the app finds an alarming tweet, it then sends an email alert to the Radar user warning them that somebody may need help. The Telegraph reports the app will also offer tips on what to do next, "including looking at their tweet history to see if there are regular warning signs, sending them a direct message asking if they're okay and arranging a face-to-face meeting."

Samaritans explains that while Twitter users wouldn't ideally miss troubling tweets, it could easily happen, and that's where the app becomes useful.

The group acknowledges that the app isn't good at deciphering the context of the words or phrases placed in tweets, so it leaves up to the actual users to decide if they should intervene. "Samaritans Radar is in its infancy and won't get it right every time--it's not good at sarcasm or jokes yet," the company explains on the app's website. "But there's a way for you to give feedback on whether a Samaritans Radar alert was correct, so the service improves for everyone as it learns more."

Samaritans says on the its website that they have identified Twitter handles belonging to organizations that regularly tweet words that the app would normally flag and placed them on a "whitelist." The app is programed to ignore tweets from these organizations.

Wired reports millennials are the target demographic for the app. According to Samaritans, 67 percent of millennials "share 'random thoughts' using Twitter as a pseudo stream of consciousness."

Wired reports Samaritans hopes to expand the app to other social media platforms in the future.

 
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