NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday the city is continually shortchanged on anti-terror funding given the threats it faces. Bloomberg’s comments came amid a heated debate between New York officials and the Obama administration over federal security funding for the city, just two weeks after a Pakistani-American man was accused of trying to explode a car bomb in...

NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday the city is continually shortchanged on anti-terror funding given the threats it faces.

Bloomberg’s comments came amid a heated debate between New York officials and the Obama administration over federal security funding for the city, just two weeks after a Pakistani-American man was accused of trying to explode a car bomb in Times Square.

Last week, New York congressional leaders complained the U.S. Department of Homeland Security planned to cut the city’s transit and port security funding by at least 25 percent. Obama administration officials refuted the claim, saying that because of federal stimulus funding and other grants, New York was set to receive more security funding rather than less.

Bloomberg said Monday the debate over which account the funding for New York is coming from obscures a larger point. “It is purely a numbers game,” he said. “The real issue is this city is a target and we don’t get our fair share ... if you start counting the risks.”

There have been at least nine planned terror attacks in the city since the Sept. 11, 2001, destruction of the World Trade Center. The terrorists involved hoped variously to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge, to blow up financial institutions, to smuggle explosive materials into the city, to detonate explosives on the subway, to release cyanide into the subway system, to ignite an airport jet fuel pipeline and to collapse commuter train tunnels at ground zero.

Bloomberg said that he would continue to press President Barack Obama and other administration officials “about why we need this money and how we’ll spend it.”

Rep. Peter King, ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, released a letter calling on DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to clear a bureaucratic logjam he said prevented millions of dollars in security funding from reaching transit agencies across the country.

Last week, Napolitano sent a letter to King saying that between 2006 and 2009, New York had allowed about $275 million in port and transit security funding to sit unused.

In his letter, King, of Long Island, cited a 2009 U.S. Government Accountability Office report estimating that from fiscal years 2006 to 2008, before Obama took office, millions of dollars in security funding had been tied up because of bureaucratic red tape. For that reason, King estimated, $421 million in 2009 and about $348 million in 2010 had not been spent.

“Secretary Napolitano must immediately end the delays and fix the broken process of distributing mass transit security grant money to ensure that it can be put to work quickly and protect lives against terrorists,” King wrote.

Owasco, NY -- Owasco, in Cayuga County, was shaken this afternoon as the Onondaga County Bomb Squad carried out a planned detonation. Owasco Fire Department stood by at the scene on Melrose Road, near Oakridge Road, where a piece of ammunition, thought to be left over from World War II was detonated by the bomb squad. The shell was about...

Owasco, NY -- Owasco, in Cayuga County, was shaken this afternoon as the Onondaga County Bomb Squad carried out a planned detonation.

Owasco Fire Department stood by at the scene on Melrose Road, near Oakridge Road, where a piece of ammunition, thought to be left over from World War II was detonated by the bomb squad.

The shell was about a foot-and-a-half tall and seven inches in diameter, said a firefighter.

Cayuga County’s emergency dispatch said they had been told to expect calls about the detonation. Shortly after the 6 p.m. detonation, calls did come in. One person reported a house shaking so much that they suspected a jet had broken the sound barrier.

Central Square, NY -- Dr. Denise Lyons spent Monday taking care of her own. Lyons is an Air Force veteran and a dentist. She wanted to give back to other veterans and reservists and their dependents near Armed Forced Day, which was celebrated Saturday. So Monday, she did free cleanings, exams and X-rays for 21 veterans and service members...

Gary Walts / The Post-StandardDr. Denise Lyons examines the teeth of Travis Keegan, a staff sergeant for the 174th Fighter Wing in Mattydale. Lyons performed free dental services for military veterans, reservists and their dependents Monday.
Central Square, NY -- Dr. Denise Lyons spent Monday taking care of her own.

Lyons is an Air Force veteran and a dentist. She wanted to give back to other veterans and reservists and their dependents near Armed Forced Day, which was celebrated Saturday. So Monday, she did free cleanings, exams and X-rays for 21 veterans and service members at her business, Lyons Dentistry in Central Square.

“When I was in the Air Force, we did this, but veterans and dependents were not allowed in the clinics unless there were cancellations,” said Lyons, a graduate of Hannibal High School and the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. “This is a thank you for all the veterans and reservists have done.”

This is the first time she is attempting the event and “I’m trying to work through the glitches.” The appointments filled up quickly with reservists — who don’t have dental benefits — veterans and dependents.

Jeffrey Kemp, a staff sergeant with the 174th Civil Engineer Squadron of the National Guard, said he signed up for the event because he likes to support anyone who supports the military. And he was so pleased with the event he says he will become a regular patient.

“They were all very, very friendly and they had great service,” he said. “When you walk in they act like they’ve known you for years. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”

Lyons was in the Air Force from 2004 through 2007 after finishing dental school. She finished her reserve duty in December 2009. She left the service as a captain.

Lyons said she hopes to make this an annual event.

Contact Debra J. Groom at dgroom@syracuse.com, 470-3254 or 251-5586.

Baldwinsville, NY -- Jan Golden, a popular custodial aide at Baker High School in Baldwinsville, was supposed to lose her job on June 30 because of budget cuts. But thanks to a groundswell of support of Golden by Baker High School students, the board of education officially reinstated Golden’s job and another custodial aide position at Monday night’s meeting....

Jan GoldenBaldwinsville, NY -- Jan Golden, a popular custodial aide at Baker High School in Baldwinsville, was supposed to lose her job on June 30 because of budget cuts.

But thanks to a groundswell of support of Golden by Baker High School students, the board of education officially reinstated Golden’s job and another custodial aide position at Monday night’s meeting.

“These are terrific kids,” Golden said after the meeting. “I owe my life to them.”

The Baldwinsville Central School District’s 2010-2011 budget calls for elimination of 92 positions, which will result in layoff for 30 people.

“We were able to move things around in the budget and reinstate two assistant custodial jobs,” said board president Victor Jenkins, who acknowledge the passionate work by Baker High School students.

“She came to us and she was so upset,” said Rebecca Kelly, a senior at Baker High School. “We knew we had to do something to save her job.”

In an effort to save Golden’s job, Baker High School junior Alexander Nagy started a Facebook page. There were more than 1,800 fans of the group Monday. Tim Spurchise, 17, also created a documentary to show to the board of education and administrators.

“It took us 38 days to save Jan’s job,” Spurchise said. “We are very happy.”

Kelly said she’s proud that they were able to help Golden.

“She’s the heart and soul of Baker High School,” Kelly said. “Everyone who has come to this school knows her. If she ever sees you when you’re feeling down, she’ll try to help.”

Current students and Baker graduates believe Golden is more than a custodian.

“She goes above and beyond her job,” said Matt Taylor, a 2008 graduate.

Golden, 47, has lived in Baldwinsville all her life. She graduated from Baker High School in 1981 and has worked for the district for 29 years.

She found out on Thursday that her job would be reinstated if she agreed to rotate into work in other district buildings. The first thing Golden did was contact the students who helped her.

“I was so excited,” Golden said.

“I just want to thank everyone,” said Golden, who admitted to being devastated when she learned that her job was being cut.

“I’m really thankful to keep my job.”

Pompey, NY -- Pixie, Pele and Madeleine are giving the coats off their backs to help clean up the worst oil disaster in U.S. history. Each May, the alpacas that graze the hills of Springside Farm in the town of Pompey are sheared of fleece that is spun into baby blankets, mittens and hats. Breeder Paulie Drexler has gathered...

John Berry / The Post-StandardPaulie Drexler, owner of Springside Alpaca Farm in the town of Pompey, lets her alpaca herd out of the gate.
Pompey, NY -- Pixie, Pele and Madeleine are giving the coats off their backs to help clean up the worst oil disaster in U.S. history.

Each May, the alpacas that graze the hills of Springside Farm in the town of Pompey are sheared of fleece that is spun into baby blankets, mittens and hats.

Breeder Paulie Drexler has gathered 50 pounds of fiber remnants she didn’t use last year to send to volunteers who have been working to protect the Gulf Coast and its waters since the April 20 spill.

The clippings will be stuffed into nylon stockings and tied together to make booms that help surround, contain and soak up the oil that is leaking into the ocean.
John Berry / The Post-StandardA trio of alpacas roam Springside Alpaca Farm in the town of Pompey.
Alpaca fleece has long been revered as warmer and lighter than wool, said Drexler, whose 55 alpacas can each produce up to 10 pounds of fiber a year. Prime fiber is spun into fine knits and woven garments; slightly less soft fibers are used for heavy blankets and jackets.

The remnants — known as thirds — are too short or hairy to be used in garments, but can be processed to make rugs and for industrial uses such as oil spill remediation.

The Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America has already sent 10,000 pounds of the material for the effort. Drexler hopes to send more after shearing her herd at the end of the month.

She sees her alpacas as a renewable resource. “These animals eat something we can’t and turn it into something we can use,” she said. “That is about as green as you can get. There’s a use for everything.”

The fiber recycling program also is being supported by hair salons across the country that can collect up to one pound each of human hair a day.

Contact Alaina Potrikus at apotrikus@syracuse.com or 470-3252.

Syracuse, NY -- An assistant art professor from Syracuse University and her students are wrapping up work on this year’s class project. It’s two stories tall. Marion Wilson and her class of architecture and art students took on a boarded up house at 601 Tully St., smack across from Blodgett School. They’ve come up with a design to reconstruct...

Jim Commentucci / The Post-StandardSyracuse University students and SU professor Marion Wilson (right) discuss final design decisions Thursday for the renovation of a vacant house at 601 Tully St., Syracuse. They are part of a project involving Home HeadQuarters of Syracuse to convert the structure into a home for Fowler High School student programs.
Syracuse, NY -- An assistant art professor from Syracuse University and her students are wrapping up work on this year’s class project. It’s two stories tall.

Marion Wilson and her class of architecture and art students took on a boarded up house at 601 Tully St., smack across from Blodgett School. They’ve come up with a design to reconstruct it into offices, an art gallery, classroom and café where neighbors can settle in with a good cup of coffee.

Wilson describes the project as a “sustainable community storefront for arts, publishing and emerging entrepreneurship.

Wilson, himself an artist, also is director of community initiatives in the visual arts in SU’s School of Education. She came up with the grant money and support to translate the design into reality, with help from SU and other sources. Wilson wrote grants for a solid year to raise the money to help pay for the project and stitched together a number of them, including $50,000 from the Kauffman Foundation, she said. She brought in enough money to cover the rent for five years, supplemented by paying tenants.

Home HeadQuarters, a nonprofit housing agency, has $150,000 in state Restore New York money to pay for the renovations scheduled to begin in June. The agency owns the house, which used to be a two-family dwelling with a history of police calls and drug activity, said Alys Mann, of Home HeadQuarters. .

It is located in a neighborhood under revitalization by the Near Westside Initiative, a nonprofit with partners that include SU and Home HeadQuarters. When 607 Tully is renovated, Home HeadQuarters will sell it to the initiative, Mann said.

Wilson’s class is called: “Social Sculpture: 601 Tully” and she’s had other classes involved in project on the Near West Side. Wilson said she loves the neighborhood for its urban vibe, the park at its center, its many children, its walkability, and the way its residents are so often out and about.

SU’s School of Education will lease the space. Wilson said she has lined up occupants, who will pay a fee to help make the estimated $1,400 a month it will cost to occupy the building. They include a local coffee shop, New Community Press and Wilson, her gallery and projects. Say Yes to Education, which works with city students, will have a teaching garden outside.
Jim Commentucci / The Post-StandardFowler High School junior Troy Hamlin, 16, listens as final design decisions are discussed for the renovation of a vacant house at 601 Tully St., in Syracuse. Hamlin, who grew up in the neighborhood, served as the community expert.Students from nearby Fowler High School, in particular students from its business academy, will use the building, perhaps for internships or to gain hands-on experience in its commercial operations, Wilson said.

Fowler has been involved in project since the beginning, said Susan Centore, the career specialist and a business teacher at the high school. When Wilson first approached her about it, Centore said, she knew it would be good for kids. Fowler students have benefited from a previous Wilson project – the renovation of an old vehicle into the “Mobile Literacy Arts Bus,” which travels to city schools. “She doesn’t just think outside the box. She doesn’t see the box,” Centore said.

The design work and the 601 Tully class are pretty much done, and construction is scheduled to begin in June. But for the past school year, ideas flowed fast and freely as the students devised ways to convert the house — that’s just over 2,000 square feet — on a limited budget. “High school, low resources,” Wilson put it.

The youngest class member a provided a perspective the SU students just didn’t have. Troy Hamlin, 16 and a Fowler junior, grew up in the neighborhood and now lives closer to Tipperary Hill. He served as the community expert, Wilson said.

When the SU students considered creating a green outer wall -- one covered with vegetation -- Hamlin told them the house would look like a lot of the rest of them in neighborhood: overgrown.

When the class began, several Fowler students were involved. Hamlin was the only one continued to make the late-day class that met in Armory Square. He’ll get high school and college credit for participating. He said he learned a lot about city codes, construction and design. “I’ve actually learned a lot more from this, no offense to the school, than I have learned from the school,” Hamlin said.

More Fowler students will get a chance to learn there, when it is completed and before, too. Money from CNY Works will pay for five Fowler students to help with the construction and the storefront should be done by fall, Wilson said. “Its doors are open to the community,” she said.

Contact Maureen Nolan 470-2185 or mnolan@syracuse.com.

State and county have cut funding, while districts pay more in salaries, health insurance and retirements.

Dick Blume/The Post StandardTeacher Telia Finck works with students Zoey Kuyendall (middle) and Hunter Dumas at Fairley Elementary School in Hannibal. The school’s Reading First program is being scaled back for the next school year as a result of budget cuts.Compare the districts
We have collected how much the budgets and tax levies are going up or down for you. You can compare your district here.What's on the ballot?
We have information about each district's budget, who is running for school board and any propositions on the ballot. You can it all here.New York state is cutting state school aid by $1.4 billion, costing Central New York districts millions of dollars.

Onondaga County government cut schools’ sales tax revenue for next year by 50 percent, with more cuts in the future.

At the same time, salaries, health insurance premiums and retirement benefits are rising in every district.

In such a climate, school districts have struggled to draft the budgets that will go to taxpayers who’ll vote on the plans today. Some districts cut jobs and/or programs; a few closed schools.

In the end, 19 of the 43 school districts in the region delivered budgets that are the same or lower than the current year’s. That’s highly unusual, superintendents and experts said.

When it comes to taxes, however, almost all districts are proposing increases. The proposed tax levies range from no increase in Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, Oswego and Sandy Creek, to 3.90 percent jump in Oneida City District. The levy is the amount of money to be raised through taxes.

In Onondaga County, Fayetteville-Manlius proposed the lowest tax levy increase — 1.89 percent, while North Syracuse has presented the highest, 3.54 percent.

Oneida Superintendent Ron Spadafora attributed the tax levy hike to the loss of $1 million in state aid, which made balancing the budget difficult. “We’re bare-bones right now,” he said. “We’re running out of places to go.”

F-M was able to hold the line on its tax levy by using more of its fund balance and making cuts in supplies, materials, postage and more, officials said. Some of those cuts were made last year and carried over into this year, also saving some money, said Mike Vespi, F-M assistant superintendent for business services.

Oswego’s budget increase is the highest in the area, but most of that is from a first payment on a 2007 EXCEL construction program. Superintendent William Crist said the district is using reserves and surplus to keep the tax levy the same as the 2009-10 budget.

Administrators in most districts have said holding tax levies to reasonable levels has been their goal.

“In general, tax levy increases at school districts around the region are very conservative this year,” said William Silky, chairman of the education department and director of graduate education at Le¤Moyne College, who’s worked with school budgets for 40 years. “School boards have worked hard to be fiscally conscious, and they’ve kept the line on school budget increases often by making painful cuts.”

Silky said school budgets typically have about a 90percent passing rate; he said he wouldn’t be surprised to see that dip into the 80percent range this year, even in Onondaga County. Part of that is because when voters are frustrated and dealing with tough economic times, they sometimes take it out on school budgets.

“There’s a lot of frustration out there,” he said. “Hopefully people will see that school boards have clearly done everything they can to hold the line on expenses. But it’s been an unparalleled year in terms of being extremely difficult for school districts who had had their revenue cut.”

Jordan-Elbridge had the largest budget cut of any district in the area: 3.23 percent.

Keeping the property tax levy increase down as much as possible was something Jordan-Elbridge board members were adamant about, J-E Superintendent Marilyn Dominick said.

“People are suffering in this economy, and we just couldn’t do that to them,” she said. “The public can’t bear much more. “

As soon as J-E learned it would get $75,000 from the finalized sales tax agreement with Onondaga County they put that against the tax levy, reducing the increase from 2.88 percent to 2.19 percent, Dominick said.

Substantial cuts in state aid have forced districts to draw on their reserves and in many cases cut staff and reduce programs and extracurricular activities. In several districts, residents turned out in force to protest some of the proposed cuts.

In Hannibal, the district decided to cut 10 teaching posts and sharply scale back its Reading First program at Fairley Elementary School after much debate.

Dick Blume/The Post Standard Kindergartners Kaleb Sidman (foreground) and Austin Wing (back) read in class at Fairley Elementary School in Hannibal. The Reading First program is being scaled back for next year because of budget cuts.

Districts made other cuts.

In North Syracuse, the district is reducing its work force by 102 positions, 65 through layoffs; and the district cut most freshmen sports team. The district made $9.2 million in cuts, but still had to increase the tax levy after losing $7.4 million in state aid, said Wayne Bleau, assistant superintendent for management services. Retirement costs also are up 45 percent. “That really hurt,” he said.

Liverpool is closing an elementary school, cutting 130 positions and eliminating its universal pre-K program.

All the school districts in Cayuga County except Cato-Meridian are planning to cut some full-time teachers.

Auburn is cutting 12 full-time teachers, an administrator and a school resource officer and eliminating eight vacant positions. It is also cutting back its modified sports teams.

Oswego cut 33 staff positions.

Keeping class sizes stable, an academically rigorous program and driver’s education in place were goals officials at Union Springs focused on, Superintendent Linda Rice said. The district was able to limit its property tax levy to a 0.89 percent increase by using some of its fund balance and money from deferred building aid.

Rice echoed what experts and superintendents all seem to say: the worst is yet to come. Federal stimulus money runs out and the state is still in a dire economic crisis, Le¤Moyne’s Silky said.

“This year was very challenging, no question about that,” Rice said. “But I don’t believe that challenge is over.”

Staff writer Debra J. Groom and Alaina Potrikus contributed to this report. Contact Elizabeth Doran at edoran@syracuse.com or 315-470-3012.

Also: It's primary day; 30th anniversary of Mt. St. Helens eruption.

Ahmad Massoud / The Associated PressThe mangled remains of a vehicle lies at the place of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, today. A suicide car bomber attacked the heavily fortified Afghan capital, killing at least 18 people including five U.S. troops, officials said.

» Taliban bombing kills 18, including 5 U.S. troops [The Associated Press]
» Suicide bomber attacks U.S. convoy in Kabul [The New York Times]

In other news:

» Video may show Detroit police raid that led to 7-year-old's death [The Associated Press]
» 'First 48' role debated in Detroit girl's death [The Detroit News]

» Today's crucial primaries may help foreshadow November elections [The Washington Post]

» Obama's aunt is granted asylum [The Boston Globe]

Deputy fire chief says that without extra help, the building would have burned to the ground.

Dick Blume / The Post-StandardFirefighters work at 248 W. Lafayette Ave. in Syracuse after a fire there was extinguished. Deputy Chief Ed Kurtz said extra fire crews may have saved the house from burning to the ground.

Dick Blume / The Post-StandardTwo families escaped a fire this morning at 248 W. Lafayette Ave. in Syracuse.Syracuse, NY -- Seven people escaped this morning from a smoky fire that, according to a deputy fire chief, came within moments of destroying their two-family home.

A caller on a cell phone made the initial call about 5:55 a.m. to Onondaga County E-911.

Firefighters arriving at 248 W. Lafayette Ave. found the two families who occupied the wood-frame building safe outdoors. Black smoke was pouring from the windows and seams of the house. Deputy Chief Ed Kurtz said extra fire crews were called in.

That may have saved the house, Kurtz said. He said he was concerned for firefighters' safety and was about to pull them back when an extra hose company started pouring water on the main body of fire. The fire was brought under control from that point.

"If we didn't have that large a contingent, this building would have burned to the ground," Kurtz said.

One of the two adults in a family of five in the first floor flat discovered the fire in an unused back room and alerted the other occupants, including the adult and child living in the upstairs unit, Kurtz said. Their names were not available. The Red Cross was at the scene to lend them aid.

The blaze charred the northwest corner of the house and caused electrical damage, and firefighters chopped a large hole in the roof to vent smoke. The building also took extensive water damage. It should be savable nonetheless, Kurtz said,

The fire also was hot enough to melt vinyl siding on the house next door. Kurtz said firefighters sprayed that building, too, to keep it safe.

New York — The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s controversial former pastor, said in a letter obtained by The Associated Press that he is “toxic” to the Obama administration and that the president “threw me under the bus.” In his strongest language to date about the administration’s 2-year-old rift with the Chicago pastor, Wright told a group raising money...

The Associated PressRev. Jeremiah Wright speaks in March at Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss. Wright has written that the White House considers him "toxic."New York — The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s controversial former pastor, said in a letter obtained by The Associated Press that he is “toxic” to the Obama administration and that the president “threw me under the bus.”

In his strongest language to date about the administration’s 2-year-old rift with the Chicago pastor, Wright told a group raising money for African relief that his pleas to release frozen funds for use in earthquake-ravaged Haiti would likely be ignored.

“No one in the Obama administration will respond to me, listen to me, talk to me or read anything that I write to them. I am ’toxic’ in terms of the Obama administration,” Wright wrote the president of Africa 6000 International earlier this year.

“I am ’radioactive,’ Sir. When Obama threw me under the bus, he threw me under the bus literally!” he wrote. “Any advice that I offer is going to be taken as something to be avoided. Please understand that!”

The White House didn’t respond to requests for comment Monday about Wright’s remarks. Several phone messages left by the AP for Wright at the Trinity United Church of Christ, where he is listed as a pastor emeritus, were not returned. Wright’s spokeswoman, his daughter Jeri Wright, did not immediately comment on the substance of the letter.

Then-Sen. Obama cut ties with Wright when his more incendiary remarks became an Internet sensation in the spring of 2008. At a National Press Club appearance in April 2008, he claimed the U.S. government could plant AIDS in the black community, praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and suggested Obama was putting his pastor at arm’s length for political purposes while privately agreeing with him.

Obama denounced Wright as “divisive and destructive” and later cut ties to the pastor altogether and left Wright’s church.

The letter was sent Feb. 18 to Joseph Prischak, the president of Africa 6000 International in Erie, Pa. Wright subsequently agreed to write a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the group’s behalf to try to get access to millions of dollars.

Wright’s original letter ranting against Obama’s treatment of him surfaced in an appeal filed by federal inmate Arthur Morrison, boxing great Muhammad Ali’s one-time manager, who was convicted of making phone threats.

Charles Lofton, Wright’s executive assistant, told The Associated Press that he faxed a copy of the letter to Morrison’s attorney as requested. A copy of the faxed letter signed by Wright showed that it was sent from the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago on March 31 to the fax number for Goodwin’s law office in Tulsa, Okla.

Prischak, of Africa 6000 International, is a business partner of Morrison, who has been imprisoned for nearly 18 years after he was convicted of making phone threats between 1989 to 1992 to hospitals where an ex-girlfriend worked.

Prischak told Wright in a Feb. 11 letter that he was seeking the clergyman’s help in reaching out to the U.S. Treasury Department. He said that Uday Hussein, the son of Saddam Hussein, had entrusted 87 million British pounds in 1990 to Morrison and Ali to buy pharmaceuticals, milk and food for the children of Iraq.

Prischak said the money was never spent because Morrison was imprisoned. He sought Wright’s help in lobbying U.S. authorities to permit 25 million British pounds in interest from the money held in an overseas account to be allowed to be sent to faith-based groups for the children of Haiti.

Chicopee, Mass. — Authorities say a Massachusetts man offered to give his 3-month-old daughter to a maintenance man outside a gas station convenience store in exchange for a pair of 40-ounce beers. Chicopee police say 24-year-old Matthew Brace of Northampton made the offer on Monday. The maintenance man called police, who found Brace hiding with the girl behind a trash...

Chicopee, Mass. — Authorities say a Massachusetts man offered to give his 3-month-old daughter to a maintenance man outside a gas station convenience store in exchange for a pair of 40-ounce beers.

Chicopee police say 24-year-old Matthew Brace of Northampton made the offer on Monday. The maintenance man called police, who found Brace hiding with the girl behind a trash container.

State child welfare officials took the baby into custody.

Police say Brace was not arrested but will be summoned to court to face a charge of reckless endangerment of a child. A phone number for him could not immediately be found.

The child’s mother was in the store at the time buying cigarettes. She has not been charged.

Hartford, Conn. -- Connecticut Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal is defending himself against a report he misstated his military service in Vietnam. Blumenthal's campaign on Monday night called a report on the New York Times website, which includes video of him at a 2008 event saying he had served "in Vietnam," an "outrageous distortion" on his...

Richard BlumenthalHartford, Conn. -- Connecticut Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal is defending himself against a report he misstated his military service in Vietnam.

Blumenthal's campaign on Monday night called a report on the New York Times website, which includes video of him at a 2008 event saying he had served "in Vietnam," an "outrageous distortion" on his record.

"Unlike many of his peers, Dick Blumenthal voluntarily joined the Marine Corps Reserves and served for six months in Parris Island, S.C. and six years in the reserves," Mindy Myers, Blumenthal's campaign manager, said in a written statement. "He received no special treatment from anyone."

Times spokeswoman Diane McNulty told The Associated Press, "We stand by the story."

Blumenthal told The Times that he's always tried to make it clear that his Marine Reserve service never took him overseas. The Times reviewed documents which showed the Democrat - who has been the front-runner in the Senate race - got five deferments to avoid going to war between 1965 and 1970.

Blumenthal told the Times he had misspoken at the 2008 event in Norfolk in which he said he served in Vietnam.

Top links

» GOP takes credit for New York Times hit [Politico]

» Richard Blumenthal's bogus war record [The Atlantic]

» Opponents pounce on Blumenthal war record story [New York Daily News]In a televised March debate, Blumenthal stated clearly he had not actually served in Vietnam during the conflict when asked a question about using military force in Iran.

When called at home on Monday, Blumenthal's wife, Cynthia, said her husband was out of state. Blumenthal did not immediately returns messages left on his cell phone.

Blumenthal has planned a news conference with Connecticut veterans today, but no details have been released.

Questions about Blumenthal's military service could have political reverberations. It comes days before Connecticut Democrats meet at their party convention on Friday night to endorse a candidate to fill the retiring U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd's seat. Blumenthal is facing a challenge for the nomination from Mystic businessman Merrick Alpert, but is expected to easily win the party's endorsement.

His two potential Republican rivals immediately jumped on the news.

"It's very clear to us, over the past few weeks and months as we've begun to research Mr. Blumenthal in earnest, there are some deeply troubling discrepancies between the image he's portrayed publicly and the truth," said Ed Patru, a spokesman for former wrestling executive Linda McMahon, who is seeking the GOP nomination.

Former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, a Vietnam veteran who is also seeking the party's endorsement, said he was "deeply troubled by allegations that he has misrepresented his service. Too many have sacrificed too much to have their valor stolen in this way," he added.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee accused McMahon's campaign of being behind the Times story.

Highlighting your comments to keep the discussion going on topics that affect you.

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A Syracuse man was caught driving drunk three times within less than a week in January and was sentenced on Monday to five years of probation and eight weekends in jail. Many syracuse.com users took to the article’s comments section to talk about the seriousness of drunk driving and what proper punishment should be for it. Here’s what syracuse.com user ratherripped had to say:

“Someone mentioned seizing cars, that would be a good idea. Automatic seizure of your vehicle on the first offense. Car is property of the city, end of story. Sure, if the car is a piece of junk it's no big deal but if they still owe $10k it would be. If it's not their car then the owner gets a warning, if it happens again the car is history. If the offender can't get to work it's too bad.”

»Read the original story and leave your comments

»Check out what else ratherripped has to say on syracuse.com

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»Connect with syracuse.com

Also: Emergency budget extender includes raises for state workers; Comptroller blasts lawmakers for wasting time on budget.

Tim Roske / APGov. David Paterson (right) walks to a meeting with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, at the Capitol in Albany.
»Budget mess tarnishes Silver: He blames Gov. David Paterson, but the Speaker should look in the mirror [NY Daily News]

»State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli rips into 'time waster' politicians [NY Post]

»Budget extender includes raises of up to 7 percent for some public employees [PressConnects.com]
»Layoffs for state workers remain unclear as budget snarl continues [The Buffalo News]

»Paterson attends NYC park ribbon-cutting on the same day state closes down 41 parks [LoHud.com]
»Some state park closings create opportunities [Democrat & Chronicle]

»Democratic leaders say it's unlikely all attorney general candidates will be placed on ballot [City Hall]

Crew for A&E series 'The First 48' was with police when 7-year-old Aiyana Jones was shot during raid.

Carlos Osorio / The Associated PressA woman brings balloons and flowers Monday to a memorial at the house where 7-year-old girl Aiyana Jones was shot and killed by police during a raid in Detroit. Aiyana was asleep on the living room sofa in her family's apartment when Detroit police, searching for a homicide suspect, burst in and an officer's gun went off, fatally striking the girl in the neck, family members said.

The Detroit News via APAiyana JonesDetroit -- Events leading to the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl by a Detroit officer may have been videotaped by a crew for a reality TV series that accompanied police as they searched the victim's home for a murder suspect.

Any video could reveal whether Aiyana Jones was fatally shot by an officer whose gun mistakenly discharged inside the house, as police say, or if lawyer Geoffrey Fieger's claim of a cover-up proves to be correct. Fieger, who represents the Jones' family, said he would announce two wrongful death lawsuits today.

Police have said officers threw a flash grenade through the first-floor window of the two-family home early Sunday and that an officer's gun discharged during a struggle or after a collision with the girl's grandmother. The crew for the A&E series "The First 48" was with police.

Fieger, however, said the official account was full of "utter fabrications." He said he has seen a video showing police throwing the grenade and then shooting into the home from the porch. He would not say if the footage came from the A&E crew.

"There is no question about what happened because it's in the videotape," Fieger said Monday. "It's not an accident. It's not a mistake. There was no altercation."

"Aiyana Jones was shot from outside on the porch," he said.

Assistant Chief Ralph Godbee said police want that tape.

Top links
» Grenade's use in lethal raid questioned, defended [Detroit Free Press]
» Aiyana's teacher asks: 'When is enough enough?' [The Detroit News]
» Graphic: What happened at the house [Detroit Free Press]
» Column: Guns sprout like flowers in spring [The Detroit News]

Jerry VeVone, who buys and sells antique guns at his Auburn store, has a simple request for his customers. “I hope none of my customers bring any more live explosives in the future,’’ VeVone said this morning. With good reason. On Monday, a military veteran from a local veterans post brought a World War II-era Navy shell that VeVone suspected...

Jerry VeVone, who buys and sells antique guns at his Auburn store, has a simple request for his customers.

“I hope none of my customers bring any more live explosives in the future,’’ VeVone said this morning.

With good reason.

On Monday, a military veteran from a local veterans post brought a World War II-era Navy shell that VeVone suspected was live and could still explode. His suspicions proved to be correct. Several hours later, a bomb squad from Ft. Drum in Watertown detonated the shell – which measured seven-inches round and 30-inches long -- in an open field about 500 yards behind VeVone’s Melrose Road residence in Owasco.

“It shook a lot of houses,’’ said VeVone, who owns Winton Antiques on Standart Avenue.

Here’s how the live shell ended up in the field behind his home, according to VeVone:

The veteran, whom VeVone knew but declined to identify, brought the shell to his store about 10 a.m. The shell had been stored as a memento in a local VFW post but veterans there feared someone could get hurt if the approximately 100-pound shell fell on somebody. They apparently were unaware that it could explode.

VeVone quickly sized up the shell, which was still in the back of the veteran’s pickup truck.

“It looked like it still might be live. It was nothing I wanted to deal with,’’ VeVone said.

He called the Cayuga County sheriff’s office, which in turned called the Onondaga County sheriff’s bomb squad. Meanwhile, VeVone and the veteran drove to the field behind VeVone’s house and carefully placed the shell about 500 yards north of his residence.

“I have a lot of respect for things that blow up having been in fire service for so long. I just wanted to get it away from everyone,’’ said VeVone, a member of the Owasco Fire Department since 1977.

VeVone said he was not worried about the shell exploding because he said shells like that have to hit something hard to detonate.

The bomb squad from Onondaga County arrived around noon and examined the shell. They then called Ft. Drum for help.

The Army team arrived about 4:30 p.m. and detonated the shell a couple hours later after clearing the area. No one was hurt. The explosion left a hole in the ground about two feet deep and several feet wide.

Ft. Drum spokesman Maj. Fred Harrell said the U.S. Army’s 760th Explosive Ordnance Disposal team did what it is trained to do here and in combat areas.

“We’re glad they were able to dispose of this ordnance safely for the community,’’ Harrell said.

So was VeVone.

You can reach Scott Rapp at srapp@syracuse.com or 289-4839

Also: Convicted killer runs for sheriff; Jesus spotted in lung MRI.

The Associated Press

» HOW TO: Reclaim Privacy on Facebook [Mashable]
» Thousands plan to quit Facebook by May 31. Will you? [syracuse.com]

» Convicted killer running for Suffolk County Sheriff [WHDH Channel 7]

» Awake during surgery: 'I'm in hell' [CNN]

» The funniest parenting fails of all time [The Huffington Post]

» From The New York Times, on a new blog inspired by a can of paint spilled on the carpet :

The tone is a touch raw, with just enough distance to be amused. Ms. Brophy encourages others to share what their children have ruined: “Perhaps your couch? Your TV? Your marriage? Your dreams?”

Slowly, then quickly, the site caught on; after getting some attention from the commentator Andrew Sullivan and The Huffington Post, it has had 2.2 million hits in its two months, according to Site Meter, 1.5 million of them in the past week.

» 'Stuff' My Kids Ruined

» Jesus spotted in MRI of lung [io9]

Syracuse, NY – City fire officials have identified the families displaced this morning by a fire at their 246-248 W. Lafayette Ave. home. Fire investigator Joe Galloway said the residents of the downstairs apartment included Tyronda Floyd, 31; Alsworth Seals, 26; Nautica Shabreem, 13; Dynajya Barafan, 10; and Algeron Terrance, 4. Living in the upstairs flat were Patrice Jackson,...

Dick Blume / The Post-StandardFirefighters work at 246-248 W. Lafayette Ave. in Syracuse after a fire there was extinguished. Deputy Chief Ed Kurtz said extra fire crews may have saved the house from burning to the ground.

Dick Blume / The Post-StandardTwo families escaped a fire this morning at 246-248 W. Lafayette Ave. in Syracuse.Syracuse, NY – City fire officials have identified the families displaced this morning by a fire at their 246-248 W. Lafayette Ave. home.

Fire investigator Joe Galloway said the residents of the downstairs apartment included Tyronda Floyd, 31; Alsworth Seals, 26; Nautica Shabreem, 13; Dynajya Barafan, 10; and Algeron Terrance, 4.

Living in the upstairs flat were Patrice Jackson, 28, and her son, Derek Brown, 8, Galloway said.

All seven safely escaped by the time firefighters arrived at the three-floor wood-frame structure.

Galloway said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but that it appears to have started in a back downstairs bedroom. The flames extended out the bedroom window, up the outside of the house and through a second-floor window back into the house, he said.

The back left corner of the house sustained heavy fire damage, Galloway said. The rest of the first-floor flat took smoke and water damage and the second floor sustained smoke damage, he said.

“They will not be able to return to their apartments for awhile,” Galloway said. The Red Cross is helping both families with temporary housing, he said.

Syracuse, NY - Bail was raised today for a teenager whose felony assault case was upgraded to attempted murder by a grand jury last week. Onondaga County Judge William Walsh raised Nykeem Sutton’s bail to $15,000 cash or $25,000 bond after Sutton, 16, of 4372 W. Seneca Turnpike, Onondaga, was arraigned on an indictment charging him with attempted second-degree murder...

Syracuse, NY - Bail was raised today for a teenager whose felony assault case was upgraded to attempted murder by a grand jury last week.

Onondaga County Judge William Walsh raised Nykeem Sutton’s bail to $15,000 cash or $25,000 bond after Sutton, 16, of 4372 W. Seneca Turnpike, Onondaga, was arraigned on an indictment charging him with attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault.

Defense lawyer Thomas Marris asked the judge to leave bail at $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond. Assistant District Attorney Michael Kasmarek had asked Walsh to raise bail to $100,000.

Kasmarek told the judge Sutton unleashed an unprovoked attack on Liam Halligan as they sat in a car on Frank Gay Road in Marcellus April 17.

Halligan, 19, of Hillcrest Road, was stabbed six times in the throat, neck and head as he sat in the driver’s seat of a car in the driveway of a home on Frank Gay Road, Kasmarek said. The victim also suffered defensive injuries to his hands in the attack, the prosecutor said.

According to Kasmarek, the attack occurred as Halligan was giving Sutton and Sutton’s friend a ride home from a party in Skaneateles. The prosecutor said Halligan’s interest in a young woman who had previously been Sutton’s girlfriend apparently was behind the attack although witnesses indicated Sutton gave no indication he was angry at Halligan before he pulled out a knife and started stabbing the victim.

Sutton was sitting in the car directly behind Halligan when the attack occurred, Kasmarek said.

After being stabbed, Halligan managed to drive into the village of Marcellus where he and a friend got a passerby to call 911, Kasmarek said. None of the stab wounds to Halligan’s neck and head caused any permanent damage but he may have suffered some permanent nerve damage to his hand in trying to fend off the attack, the prosecutor said.

Kasmarek told Walsh the prosecution is looking for a state prison sentence and no youthful offender treatment for Sutton. The judge entered a “not guilty” plea for the teenager and adjourned the case to June 22 for argument of motions.

Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse woman pleaded guilty today to a lesser arson charge in the torching of a Chevrolet van belonging to her ex- girlfriend in January. Autumn Mattison, 20, of West Ostrander Avenue, pleaded guilty before state Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti to a misdemeanor count of fifth-degree arson in the Jan. 17 incident. She had been facing...

Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse woman pleaded guilty today to a lesser arson charge in the torching of a Chevrolet van belonging to her ex- girlfriend in January.

Autumn Mattison, 20, of West Ostrander Avenue, pleaded guilty before state Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti to a misdemeanor count of fifth-degree arson in the Jan. 17 incident.

She had been facing a more serious felony count of third-degree arson which could have sent her to state prison for up to 15 years.

Instead, Mattison will be sentenced July 12 to three years’ probation and time served for the four months she spent in jail before Brunetti allowed her to be released after her guilty plea was entered.