NEW YORK — Call him the officiator-in-chief: Former President Bill Clinton will preside at the wedding of New York Rep. Anthony Weiner to a longtime aide of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. That’s according to people familiar with the ceremony. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the nuptial plans. Aides to Weiner...

NEW YORK — Call him the officiator-in-chief: Former President Bill Clinton will preside at the wedding of New York Rep. Anthony Weiner to a longtime aide of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

That’s according to people familiar with the ceremony. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the nuptial plans. Aides to Weiner and the former president declined to comment.

The 45-year-old congressman and his 34-year-old fiancee, Huma Abedin, are to be married Saturday at the Oheka Castle in Huntington on Long Island. The 19,000 square-foot home and extensive grounds have been host to many high-profile weddings, including Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers to Danielle Deleasa last December.

The Clintons are in the midst of a busy wedding season. Daughter Chelsea, 30, plans to tie the knot with investment banker Marc Mezvinsky on July 31 in Rhinebeck in upstate New York.

Weiner and Abedin have been dating for about two years and announced their engagement last summer. Weiner is Jewish. Abedin grew up in Saudi Arabia and is Muslim.

The relationship drew immediate notice in New York and Washington, pairing the scrappy six-term Democrat and one of New York’s most eligible bachelors with the glamorous Abedin, who for years has served as one of Hillary Clinton’s closest aides.

Weiner came close to running for the Democratic nomination to challenge New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg last year after failing to win the nomination in 2005. In May, he announced his decision not run, saying in a column in the New York Times that he hoped to “build a family” instead.

Abedin began working for Hillary Clinton in the White House in 1996. She followed her to Capitol Hill in 2001 after the former first lady was elected to the U.S. Senate from New York. Abedin served as Clinton’s traveling chief of staff during Clinton’s 2008 presidential bid and took much the same role after President Barack Obama named Clinton to be secretary of state last year.

The Associated Press moved a story about how former President Bill Clinton will preside at a wedding of a U.S. Congressman from New York state to a former aide of his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The story noted that this summer is a busy one for weddings, with his daughter, Chelsea, also getting married, in Rhinebeck....

View full sizeGene J. Puskar / APFormer President Bill Clinton gestures while speaking during a memorial service for Sen. Robert Byrd on July 2 at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, W.Va.

The Associated Press moved a story about how former President Bill Clinton will preside at a wedding of a U.S. Congressman from New York state to a former aide of his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The story noted that this summer is a busy one for weddings, with his daughter, Chelsea, also getting married, in Rhinebeck.

But one syracuse.com user, upstatephan, has a bone to pick with The Associated Press:

dear associated press, Rhinebeck, NY is NOT upstate new york. thank you, upstatephan

» Read the story and all the comments

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Military rushed unmanned aircraft into service to meet high demand in skies over Afghanistan.

View full sizeRick Loomis / Los Angeles TimesA pilot in a remote site at Kandahar Air Field uses a camera pod to remotely steer a Reaper aircraft back into base after a mission. Thirty-eight Predator and Reaper drones have crashed during combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and nine more during training on bases in the U.S., with each crash costing between $3.7 million and $5 million.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Kandahar, Afghanistan — The U.S. military often portrays its drone aircraft as high-tech marvels that can be operated seamlessly from thousands of miles away. But Pentagon accident reports reveal that the pilotless aircraft suffer from frequent system failures, computer glitches and human error.

Design and system problems were never fully addressed in the haste to push the fragile plane into combat over Afghanistan shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks more than eight years ago. Air Force investigators continue to cite pilot mistakes, coordination snafus, software failures, outdated technology and inadequate flight manuals.

Thirty-eight Predator and Reaper drones have crashed during combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and nine more during training on bases in the U.S. — with each crash costing between $3.7 million and $5 million. Altogether, the Air Force says there have been 79 drone accidents costing at least $1 million each.

Read the story:

» War zone drone crashes add up

Related stories:

» 174th busy guiding Reapers, has plans for a larger role [The Post-Standard]
» Chart: Drone aircraft crashes [Los Angeles Times]
» Syracuse Air National Guard at Hancock Field operate Reaper drones from afar [The Post-Standard]
» U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan get mixed response [Los Angeles Times]
» Drone pilots have a front-row seat on war, from half a world away [Los Angeles Times]

Boat can do 180-degree turns and hit speeds of 40 mph.

View full sizeClay Willis / The Post-StandardOperators Kyle Weber, of Marblehead, Ohio, and Carla Sweet-McQuay, of Athens, Pa., pilot the Screamer on Oneida Lake. The Screamer, a 40 seat, high-speed boat, is the most recent addition to The Sylvan Beach Amusement Park.

Sylvan Beach, NY -- The Screamer jet boat, the newest thrill ride at the Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, will soon be screaming across Oneida Lake. The boat with twin 500-horsepower engines and a $12,000 sound system can do 180-degree turns and hit speeds of 40 mph.

“It’s been described as an F-14, a roller-coaster and a disco on the water,” owner Doug Waterbury shouted above the music and wind Friday morning as the boat scudded across a relatively calm lake on a test run.

Waterbury estimates he spent “a little south” of $1 million to buy and upgrade the 50-foot boat, which holds 40 passengers. It arrived at the Erie Canal wall at Sylvan Beach on Thursday, and Waterbury hopes to begin giving rides next week after the Coast Guard inspects it. He is also awaiting approval from the state Canal Corp. to dock the boat on the canal.

Waterbury also owns the North Pole amusement park near Lake Placid and the Renaissance Festival in Sterling. He became a joint owner of the Sylvan Beach park in 2007, planning to invest up to $8 million to recreate a 1940s seaside amusement park.

The Screamer has been in Aruba for several years, Waterbury said, but it failed to find an audience in the Caribbean resort. The boat offers a thrill ride that Waterbury hopes will draw teenagers and 20-somethings, as well as promote the park and the village.

View full sizeClay Willis / The Post-StandardThe Screamer, a high-speed boat, seats 40 and is the most recent addition to The Sylvan Beach Amusement Park. "It's been described as an F-14, a roller-coaster and a disco on the water," said owner Doug Waterbury.

Waterbury said safety on the busy lake is a top priority, and there will always be two trained employees on the boat while it’s in action. “It requires a tremendous amount of attention of the crew to monitor constantly the traffic and the neighborhood,” he said.

Waterbury said he has hired two captains certified by the Coast Guard. One of them, Kyle Weber, operates an even larger boat on Lake Erie, Waterbury said.

Tickets for the Screamer will be $19.95 if purchased online, and $25 at the boat. Rides will be 35-45 minutes, Waterbury said.

The boat will be docked at Sylvan Beach but will travel around, including making an appearance at Harborfest in Oswego this month. In the winter, Waterbury says he might set up shop in Florida.

Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 470-3251.

Syracuse, NY--One man was shot in the face early this morning during a fight that started in the Bubbles Night Club. Michael Gavenda, 21, of Syracuse, is being treated this morning for serious, but not life threatening injuries, at Upstate University Hospital, said Sgt. Thomas Connellan. Here's what Connellan said happened: A fight involving Gavenda and three or four other...

Syracuse, NY--One man was shot in the face early this morning during a fight that started in the Bubbles Night Club.

Michael Gavenda, 21, of Syracuse, is being treated this morning for serious, but not life threatening injuries, at Upstate University Hospital, said Sgt. Thomas Connellan.

Here's what Connellan said happened:

A fight involving Gavenda and three or four other men began in the bar at 308 W. Genesee St. and spilled outside.

During the fight, someone shot Gavenda in the face, Connellan said. No one else was injured, he said.

Police were called to the scene at 1:58 a.m.

"There was a large crowd outside because it was closing time," he said.

The investigation is continuing and police are still interviewing people. No charges have been filed.

Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse police are trying to identify the driver of a car and a passenger, one of whom died, in a crash early this morning in Eastwood. The accident occurred at 3:04 a.m. when a 2000 Volvo traveling west Northcliffe Road struck a utility pole on the south side of the street, then came to rest against...

View full sizeFrank Ordoñez / The Post-Standard One person died when a car hit a light pole and a tree about 3 a.m. on Northcliffe Road in Eastwood.

Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse police are trying to identify the driver of a car and a passenger, one of whom died, in a crash early this morning in Eastwood.

The accident occurred at 3:04 a.m. when a 2000 Volvo traveling west Northcliffe Road struck a utility pole on the south side of the street, then came to rest against a tree, police said. The accident occurred in the 900 block.

A man about 24 years old was taken to Upstate University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said Sgt. Thomas Connellan.

A 22-year-old man who was in the car when police arrived received a broken leg in the accident, Connellan said. He is being treated at Upstate University Hospital.

Police said he is listed in serious condition.

"We're still trying to determine who the driver is," Connellan said.

Police have not determined the cause of the crash.

"There's a lot of questions still to be answered about this accident. Our traffic reconstruction experts are conducting an investigation," Connellan said.

People with information about the crash are asked to call police at 442-5151.

If all goes, leaking oil could be contained by Monday

APThis image from video provided by BP PLC late Friday shows oil continuing to leak from the broken wellhead, at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Undersea robots manipulated by engineers a mile above will begin work Saturday removing the containment cap over the gushing well head in the Gulf of Mexico, the first part of a plan that could lead to the containment of all the oil as soon as Monday.

NEW ORLEANS — Undersea robots manipulated by engineers a mile above will begin work Saturday removing the containment cap over the gushing well head in the Gulf of Mexico to replace it with a tighter-fitting cap that could funnel all the oil to tankers at the surface.

If all goes according to plan, the tandem of the tighter cap and the tankers could keep all the oil from polluting the fragile Gulf as soon as Monday.

But it’s only a temporary solution to the catastrophe unleashed by a drilling rig explosion nearly 12 weeks ago. It won’t plug the busted well, the leak will get worse before it gets better — and it remains uncertain that it will succeed. When the cap is removed, oil will flow mostly unabated into the water for about 48 hours — long enough for as much as 5 million gallons to gush out — until the new cap is installed.

The well would still be busted and leaking as much oil as before — but all of it would be funneled to the surface and away from the sea. The hope for a permanent solution remains with two relief wells intended to plug it completely far beneath the seafloor.

“I use the word ’contained,’” said retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen. “’Stop’ is when we put the plug in down below.”

Crews using remote-controlled submarines plan to swap out the cap over the weekend, taking advantage of a window of good weather following weeks of delays caused by choppy seas.

The cap now in use was installed June 4, but because it had to be fitted over a jagged cut in the well pipe, it allows some crude to escape. The new cap — dubbed “Top Hat Number 10” — follows 80 days of failures to contain or plug the leak.

BP PLC first tried a huge containment box also referred to as a top hat, but icelike crystals quickly clogged the contraption in the cold depths. The oil giant then tried to shoot heavy drilling mud into the hole to hold down the flow so it could then insert a cement plug. After the so-called “top kill,” engineers tried a “junk shot” — using the undersea robots to try and stuff carefully selected golf balls and other debris to plug the leak. That also met failure.

APCrude oil washes up Friday on Fourchon Beach, La.

Meanwhile Friday, BP worked to hook up another containment ship called the Helix Producer to a different part of the leaking well. The ship, which will be capable of sucking up more than 1 million gallons a day when it is fully operating, should be working by Sunday, Allen said.

The government estimates 1.5 million to 2.5 million gallons of oil a day are spewing from the well, and the existing cap is collecting about 1 million gallons of that. With the new cap and the new containment vessel, the system will be capable of capturing 2.5 million to 3.4 million gallons — essentially all the leaking oil, officials said.

The plan had originally been to hook up the Helix Producer and install the new cap separately, but the favorable weather convinced officials the time was right for both operations.

“Everybody agrees we got the weather to do what we need,” Allen said. He said the calm weather is expected to last seven to 10 days.

In a response late Friday to Allen’s request for detailed plans about the new cap, the Helix Producer and the relief wells, BP managing director Bob Dudley confirmed that the leak could be contained by Monday.

But Dudley included plans for another scenario, which includes possible problems and missteps for the installation of the cap that would push the work back until Thursday.

And the latest effort is far from a sure thing, warned Louisiana State University environmental sciences professor Ed Overton.

“Everything done at that site is very much harder than anyone expects,” he said. Overton said putting on the new cap carries risks: “Is replacing the cap going to do more damage than leaving it in place, or are you going to cause problems that you can’t take care of?”

Containing the leak will not end the crisis that began when the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. The relief wells are still being drilled so they can inject heavy mud and cement into the leaking well to stop the flow, which is expected to be done by mid-August. Then a monumental cleanup and restoration project lies ahead.

Some people in Louisiana’s oil-soaked Plaquemines Parish were skeptical that BP can contain the oil so soon.

“Too many lies from the beginning,” oyster fisherman Goyo Zupanovich said while painting his boat at a marina in Empire, La. “I don’t believe them anymore.”

Syracuse man held on felony animal cruelty charge

View full sizeProvided photoRachel Dean, of Syracuse, with Rockford at Fruit Valley Veterinary Clinic in Oswego shortly after he was treated.

Central New York SPCA investigators have arrested a Syracuse man in connection with a puppy whose jaw was nearly severed.

Tuesday, SPCA executive director Paul Morgan and his investigative team—who have law enforcement authority — arrested Reginald J. Stepp, 35, at his 1227 Milton Ave. home. He is being held at the Justice Center on a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals and two misdemeanors — cruelty to animals and failure to provide medical care for an animal.

The 6- to 8-month-old pit bull named Rockford was found in the back of Stepp’s van on June 29 by Rachel Dean, a manager at Absolute Auto and Audio in Fulton.

Thursday, the puppy had surgery at Cornell University Hospital for Animals and is doing fine, said the Fruit Valley Veterinary Clinic in Oswego where Rockford was first taken after he was found. Donations to help with Rockford’s medical expenses have come from Arizona, California and soldiers fighting in Iraq, said the clinic.

Rockford will live with Dean after he leaves Cornell.

Contact Fernando Alfonso III can be reached at falfonso@syracuse.com or 470- 6078.

Syracuse, NY—A Syracuse man today was accused of shooting another man in the face during an early morning fight outside the Bubbles Night Club. James McKinley, 20, of 311 John St., was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies. Police did not release his picture because the investigation is ongoing. The investigation is continuing and more...

Syracuse, NY—A Syracuse man today was accused of shooting another man in the face during an early morning fight outside the Bubbles Night Club.

James McKinley, 20, of 311 John St., was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies. Police did not release his picture because the investigation is ongoing.

The investigation is continuing and more arrests are possible, police said.

McKinley is accused of shooting Michael Gavenda, 21, of Syracuse, during a fight this morning at the bar at 308 W. Genesee St.

Gavenda is in serious but stable condition at Upstate University Hospital, where he is being treated for a gunshot wound to the face, police said Saturday afternoon.

Here’s what police said happened. Click here to read an earlier story.

A fight involving the victim and three or four other men began in the bar and spilled outside, where Gavenda was shot. Police were called to the scene at 1:58 a.m.

Police continue to investigate the shooting and have asked anyone with information about the case to call the Criminal Investigations Division at 442-5222.

Syracuse, NY—Police have identified the victim and suspected driver involved in a fatal car crash this morning in Eastwood. Jerald Settineri, 24, of 216 Clover Ridge Road, was pronounced dead at Upstate University Hospital this morning following a car crash on Northcliffe Road, near Nichols Avenue, Syracuse police said. Police identified the suspected driver of the 2000 Volvo that...

View full sizeFrank Ordoñez / The Post-Standard One person died when a car hit a light pole and a tree about 3 a.m. on Northcliffe Road in Eastwood.

Syracuse, NY—Police have identified the victim and suspected driver involved in a fatal car crash this morning in Eastwood.

Jerald Settineri, 24, of 216 Clover Ridge Road, was pronounced dead at Upstate University Hospital this morning following a car crash on Northcliffe Road, near Nichols Avenue, Syracuse police said.

Police identified the suspected driver of the 2000 Volvo that crashed as Robert Barboni, 22, of Syracuse, police said. Click here to see an earlier story.

The Syracuse Police Traffic Division continues to investigate the crash and asks that anyone with information call 442-5151.

Here’s what police said happened.

The Volvo was driving west on Northcliffe Road when it struck a utility pole on the south side of the street and came to rest against a tree. Police were called to the accident scene at 3:04 a.m.

Update: Clay, NY--Firefighters from six fire departments quickly put out a fire this afternoon that started in the rear of the second floor of a garage at 5599 Caughdenoy Road, Clay. “When we arrived we had heavy smoke and flames showing from the second floor of the garage,” said Clay Fire Chief Dan Ford. Firefighters were called at 3:09...

View full sizeLauren Long / The Post-StandardFirefighters work at the scene of a fire at 5599 Caughdenoy Road in Clay.

Update:

Clay, NY--Firefighters from six fire departments quickly put out a fire this afternoon that started in the rear of the second floor of a garage at 5599 Caughdenoy Road, Clay.

“When we arrived we had heavy smoke and flames showing from the second floor of the garage,” said Clay Fire Chief Dan Ford.

Firefighters were called at 3:09 p.m., and the fire was put out 19 minutes later, he said.

“We pretty much had it stopped as it was going into the house,” the chief said.

The fire started in the rear of the garage’s second floor, Ford said. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of the blaze, he said.

Heavily aware of the temperature, Ford said he called in extra firefighters from other departments. No one was injured in the fire.

Firefighters mopped sweat from their brows and drank bottled water as they sat on folding chairs in a recovery area set up underneath some nearby trees.

Maureen Bauer, a neighbor at 5577 Caughdenoy Road, said she was unaware of the fire until she heard firetrucks pulling up next door.

When she came out to see what was happening, "there were big flames coming out of the roof of the garage," Bauer said.

Responding to the blaze were firefighters from Clay, Brewerton, Cicero, South Bay, Moyers Corners, and North Syracuse. Firefighters from Mattydale and Caughdenoy stood by in Clay’s stations.

Ambulance crews from NOVA, NAVAC and EAVES also stood by at the scene, as did a Red Cross Disaster crew.

Earlier:

Clay, NY -- Five fire departments and two ambulance corps are on the scene of a structure fire this afternoon in the town of Clay.

The fire was reported at 3 p.m. in a structure at 5599 Caughdenoy Road. The fire was reported as being in a garage. Firefighters reported to 911 about a half hour later that the fire is out.

Reporter Charley Hannagan is on the scene and will update this report with more details as they become available.

MIlitary operations in Kandahar aim to break grip of Taliban

APA United States Army soldier from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion of the 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne, climbs over a high wall during a patrol in the volatile Arghandab Valley, outside Kandahar City, Saturday.

KABUL, Afghanistan — A wave of attacks killed six U.S. troops and at least a dozen civilians Saturday in Afghanistan’s volatile south and east, as American reinforcements moving into Taliban-dominated areas face up to the fierce resistance they expected.

Increased U.S.-led military operations in the southern province of Kandahar are aimed at trying to break the Taliban’s grip where they are strongest by delivering security and government services to win over Afghan people.

The hope is that once the tide begins to turn, more control can be handed to Afghan forces without fear that the Taliban might again seize power, bring back its harsh interpretation of Islamic law and resume sheltering al-Qaida terrorist leaders. Then U.S. troops could begin withdrawing in July 2011, in line with a timeline set by President Barack Obama.

Senior U.S. military officers have warned, however, that the fight in the Taliban’s spiritual birthplace would lead to a rise in casualties for troops. June was the deadliest month of the nearly 9-year-old war, and July has kept pace.

On Saturday, two of the U.S. troops killed died in the south in separate roadside bombings. In Kandahar city, a remote-controlled bomb on a motorcycle exploded, setting cars ablaze and shattering windows at a popular shopping center. The provincial government said one passer-by was killed.

APSmoke comes out from the scene of an explosion Saturday in Kandahar south of Kabul, Afghanistan. One bystander was killed when the bomb, concealed in a parked motorcycle, exploded in the middle of the afternoon, said the city's security chief.

The other American service members died in the east: One as a result of small-arms fire, another by a roadside bomb, a third during an insurgent attack and the last in an accidental explosion. Their deaths raised to 23 the number of American troops killed so far this month. Last month, 103 international troops were killed, 60 of them Americans.

In the spring, as NATO began stepping up patrols in the south, Adm. Mike Mullen, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned reporters again that such a rise casualties would be inevitable. “I think we’ve been very clear for months now that this was going to be a very difficult fight in the south, and tried to set expectations, as tragic as it is, for these losses,” said Mullen, who is Obama’s top military adviser.

Progress has indeed proved slow, and the Afghan government is struggling to build trust, with many authorities seen as corrupt or unprofessional. Violence has also escalated as the insurgents work to sabotage Afghan authorities and kill foreign forces, sometimes with dramatic terrorist attacks, but most days with a steady flow of roadside bombs and small attacks.

In Saturday’s deadliest attack, eastern border province of Paktia, unidentified gunmen killed 11 Pakistanis who had crossed into Afghanistan to buy supplies, according to Rohullah Samon, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Samon said 11 Shia minority Muslim tribesmen died and three people, including a child, were wounded in the ambush of their minibus in Chamkani district.

Elsewhere in Paktia, Afghan and international forces also said a combined commando unit killed a Taliban operative and captured eight others in an overnight raid, though local villagers later staged a small protest, saying the men were innocent civilians.

Another, larger protest in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif involved another night raid that killed two security guards near a market earlier in the week.

A crowd of more than 1,000 crowd chanted “Death to America! Long live Islam!” Protesters said the security guards were unjustly killed when combined Afghan and international forces landed by helicopter at the bazaar before dawn Wednesday.

NATO spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks said the two guards were shot when they raised their weapons at the commandos and refused orders to put them down. He said the raid succeeded in capturing a Taliban-allied operative who supplied bomb-making material.

The international coalition has been aggressively stepping up such raids, trying to break up Taliban leadership and operations capability in a renewed push as 30,000 more American troops arrive to try to turn around the war.

The coalition say commando units have captured more than 100 senior and midlevel Taliban figures since April and killed dozens more. But the success rate has not made much of a dent in insurgent attacks.

On Saturday, an explosion tore through a NATO convoy traveling in the eastern province of Khost, though no one was killed. The German army later said two of its soldiers were slightly wounded by a roadside bomb in the northern province of Kunduz — the second homemade explosive attack on German troops in the area that day.

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force has been in Afghanistan since shortly after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, when U.S.-backed forces toppled the regime that sheltered the al-Qaida terrorist leadership following the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.

Van Buren, NY -- A police pursuit this evening involving several agencies has ended in the town of Van Buren, according to 911 and police radio broadcasts. The pursuit ended about 6:40 p.m. in a crash with minor injures near the intersection of Route 31 and West Dead Creek Road. A spike strip was apparently used to deflate the...

An Onondaga County sheriff's deputy watches over the wreck of a car involved in a chase this evening that ended at Route 31 and West Dead Creek Road in Van Buren.

The pursuit ended about 6:40 p.m. in a crash with minor injures near the intersection of Route 31 and West Dead Creek Road. A spike strip was apparently used to deflate the tires of the vehicle being pursued.

Onondaga County sheriff's Air One helicopter also took part in the chase.

At the scene at 7:30 p.m., an Onondaga County Sheriff deputy stood watch over a white car that went off the north side of where the two roads meet. The deputy referred all questions to the Cayuga County Sheriff's Department.

Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould declined to comment on the chase saying the investigation is ongoing. Gould also declined to confirm the chase started in Cayuga County.

This report will be updated as details become known.

England questions passports issued by Iroquois nation. Team hopes to resolve dispute Monday, but delay costs them $23,000 so far.

The Post-Standard, 2006Iroquois nationals’ Brett Bucktooth keeps possession while being defended by England’s Nathan Singleton in the opening game of the World Lacrosse Championships held in London, Ontario, in 2006. The Iroquois defeated England 13-10.

Instead of flying to England today for the 2010 World Lacrosse Championships, members of the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team will take a bus to New York City where they hope to convince the British Consulate and U.S. State Department to let them travel.

England would not let the team into the country because some team members and staff travel on passports issued by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois confederacy), said Ansley Jemison, the team’s general manager. The British officials wanted confirmation that the United States will allow them back into the country, he said.

“There was an issue when (officials) said, ‘Are you an American citizen, a U.S. citizen, whatever your citizenship is,’¤” Jemison said. “Our people had a hard time answering that. We identify ourselves as who we are: We are indigenous people of North America, and that line was drawn in the sand by somebody other than us.”

The Iroquois, a confederacy of sovereign nations including the Onondaga nation south of Syracuse, has issued the Haudenosaunee passports for about 30 years, said Barbara Barnes, a member of the team’s board of directors. She said she has never heard of this type of problem before.

“This is the most difficulty we’ve had,” Barnes said. “We have traveled on the passports before; they’ve issued us visas. We’ve gone into Australia, Japan, participated in these international lacrosse world games. .¤.¤. They are giving us a real hard time this time.”

The 23 players on the team come from Central New York, Tuscarora and Ontario, Canada. They are traveling with about 20 coaches, family members and fans.

On Monday, the team will get biometric scans, pay a $5,000 visa processing fee that must be paid in person and re-submit their visa applications, Jemison said.

“Our support staff is doing everything that they can to make this happen for them,” Jemison said. “We’re not trying to make political statements or anything like that but .¤.¤. by being who we are, it already becomes a political issue.”

The team and its supporters planned to stay in New York City tonight. The delay will cost the team about $23,000 for hotel rooms, change of flight surcharges and food, Jemison said.

To make it to the tournament on time, the team cannot leave later than Tuesday, he said. They are scheduled to open the world tournament against England on Thursday.

As the team waits for approval, they will practice today at Wagner College on Staten Island, Jemison said.

“We’re anxious but optimistic,” he said. “I don’t think a lacrosse team full of world-class athletes poses much of a threat to homeland security. All we’re doing is going to play a game and all we want to do is come home and have the United States and Canada be proud of us.”

Indian Country Today article on the dispute.

Contact Fernando Alfonso III at falfonso@syracuse.com or 470- 6078 .

Morrisville, NY -- A fire this evening at an electrical substation has caused a widespread power outage in Madison County centered in the area of Morrisville, the Madison County 911 Center reports. The fire happened about 7:30 p.m. at the NYSEG power substation on Davis Corners Road in Morrisville, 911 reports. The NYSEG Website lists the following towns as having...

Morrisville, NY -- A fire this evening at an electrical substation has caused a widespread power outage in Madison County centered in the area of Morrisville, the Madison County 911 Center reports.

The fire happened about 7:30 p.m. at the NYSEG power substation on Davis Corners Road in Morrisville, 911 reports.

The NYSEG Website lists the following towns as having some areas affected by the outage: Canastota, Cazenovia, Eaton
Hamilton, Morrisville, Munnsville, Oneida and Peterboro.

Traffic lights throughout the area, including ones on Route 20, are not working and the county highway department is setting up stop signs at intersections. Deputies are also watching traffic at some intersections.

Syracuse, NY -- An East Syracuse woman called state police in June to complain that her twin sister used the East Syracuse woman's identity at an April traffic stop in Syracuse. Christine Vaccarro said it was not the first time her sister, Anna I. Demko, 34, of 417 Wilkinson St., has used her sister’s name to try to avoid...

Anna I. Demko

Christine Vaccarro said it was not the first time her sister, Anna I. Demko, 34, of 417 Wilkinson St., has used her sister’s name to try to avoid a ticket.

The last time was April 29 when Demko was stopped for using a cell phone while driving and for not wearing a seatbelt, troopers said. When she was stopped, Demko provided police with Vaccaro’s name and identifying information, troopers said.

Troopers charged Demko Friday with criminal impersonation, a misdemeanor. Demko previously had used Vaccaro’s identification for traffic stops in Syracuse and Geddes, troopers said.

Albion, NY -- State police are investigating a fatal all-terrain vehicle crash tonight in the town of Albion. The Oswego County 911 Center confirms that the crash was fatal. State police earlier in the evening did not confirm the crash as fatal, saying only that it was a "serious personal injury accident." Troopers and emergency personnel were called at 7:05...

Albion, NY -- State police are investigating a fatal all-terrain vehicle crash tonight in the town of Albion.

The Oswego County 911 Center confirms that the crash was fatal. State police earlier in the evening did not confirm the crash as fatal, saying only that it was a "serious personal injury accident."

Troopers and emergency personnel were called at 7:05 p.m. to 1661 State Route 13, where an ATV was reported to have struck a tree, state troopers and the Oswego County 911.

In the original 911 radio call to dispatch emergency medical personnel, people on the scene were reported giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the victim of the crash.

The crash site is south of the village of Altmar and about a half-mile from Route 13, 911 reports.

Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse police are investigating a shooting in the 900 block of Midland Avenue that was reported shortly after 10:30 p.m. today. A 15-year-old boy who was shot in the buttocks in an apparent drive by shooting in the 900 block of Midland Ave., Sgt. Tom Connellan said. The wound is not life threatening and the boy was...

Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse police are investigating a shooting in the 900 block of Midland Avenue that was reported shortly after 10:30 p.m. today.

A 15-year-old boy who was shot in the buttocks in an apparent drive by shooting in the 900 block of Midland Ave., Sgt. Tom Connellan said. The wound is not life threatening and the boy was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, he said.

The shooting appeared to have happened near the N&A Market, 943 Midland Ave.

Just before 11 p.m., officers were seen searching the 900 block of Midland trying to locate the exact shooting scene.

The Cayuga Indian Nation will ask a judge on Wednesday to dismiss an indictment against its leaders and return some $200,000 worth of cigarettes and business records seized from the nation’s Union Springs store in a November 2008 tax raid. Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann opposes the nation’s motions and will argue against them before county Judge Mark...

View full sizePost-Standard file photoCayuga County sheriff's deputies raided the Cayuga Indian Nation's Lake Side Trading store outside Union Springs on Nov. 25, 2008, seizing untaxed cigarettes.

The Cayuga Indian Nation will ask a judge on Wednesday to dismiss an indictment against its leaders and return some $200,000 worth of cigarettes and business records seized from the nation’s Union Springs store in a November 2008 tax raid.

Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann opposes the nation’s motions and will argue against them before county Judge Mark Fandrich. The hearing is to start at 9 a.m.

Budelmann faces an uphill fight at the hearing because of recent unfavorable court decisions in the case.

Last month Seneca County Judge Dennis Bender sided with the nation in a companion case. In his ruling, Bender dismissed a similar unsealed indictment against the Cayugas and ordered the return of some $375,000 worth of unstamped cigarettes confiscated from the nation’s Seneca Falls store in the 2008 raid. They were being held as evidence in that county’s cigarette tax-evasion case against the Cayugas.

Bender’s decision came on the heels of a May ruling by the state Court of Appeals. The state’s highest court ruled 4-3 that the counties could not prosecute the Cayugas for failing to remit sales tax on cigarettes sold to non-Indians at their LakeSide Trading stores in the two counties.

Syracuse lawyer Daniel French, who represents the Cayugas, said the indictments should be dismissed based on the May ruling by the state’s highest court.

“The Court of Appeals ruled the prosecution can’t go forward,’’ French said.

The Court of Appeals’ ruling does not apply to his case, Budelmann said, because he is trying to prosecute the nation for possessing unstamped cigarettes that are sold to non-Indians. The appeals court decision only applied to the Cayugas failing to remit state sales tax on cigarette sales to non-Indians, Budelmann said.

“I’m only trying to get them to pay taxes like everybody else,’’ he said.

The prosecutor also said he will argue on Wednesday that criminal procedure law requires the indictments to be opened and the accused defendants be arraigned before the indictments can be possibly dismissed.

French said Budelmann is only trying to save his political reputation and embarrass the Cayugas by forcing their leaders to be arraigned in open court.

“The only reason he is fighting this is to score political points in an attempt to provide cover for having brought such nonsensical prosecutions,’’ French said.

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

Law says a minority of holdouts can’t block a gas company from drilling in a tract of land.

View full sizeFrank Ordoñez / The Post-StandardNick Riolo stands by his truck next to a drilling field behind his property in Lebanon. "There's nothing you can do to stop it," said Riolo, who was forced to have two 5-acre parcels integrated into the drilling area. He gets about $350 a month in royalties from the gas company.

Nick Riolo didn’t want gas drilling beneath his property in the Madison County town of Lebanon, but he had no choice.

Under what the law calls compulsory integration, a gas company can drill under land without permission of the owners if enough of their neighbors have already leased their property to the company.

“There’s nothing you can do to stop it,” said Riolo, who had about 7 acres integrated into a drilling area. “I called a lawyer and he said, ‘You don’t really have a choice.’ ”

While compulsory integration has been going on for years, it’s likely to become more widespread and more controversial if New York allows a new type of drilling to begin next year in deep shale formations. Drilling in the Marcellus and other shales will encompass much larger tracts of land than previous types of drilling did because the gas is scattered throughout a rock formation that runs from Virginia to New York. In addition, the injection of millions of gallons of chemical-laden water at high pressure to fracture underground rocks – called “hydrofracking” — has raised concerns about tainted wells and streams.

Compulsory integration “is a sleeping giant,” said Chuck Geisler, a development sociology professor at Cornell University who specializes in land use policy. “If and when New York state starts issuing permits, this is going to start showing up and it’s going to take us by surprise.”

In southern and Central New York, thousands of land owners are weighing whether to capitalize on the projected underground gold rush or fight the environmental consequences of hydrofracking. In Onondaga County alone, about 1,900 separate parcels are leased to gas drilling companies, said Lindsay Speer, a community organizer who works with Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation.

Many neighbors of those landowners have not signed leases, either holding out for a better deal or refusing to sign at all because they fear damage to the environment or their own wells. Compulsory integration would remove that choice for many landowners if enough neighboring property is already leased.

“I think it really can drive wedges between neighbors who are pro, con and undecided,” Geisler said.

Industry officials and regulators say the law actually protects landowners. Gas companies cannot drill on the land included in a drilling area without the owner’s consent. The law requires gas companies to pay royalties to owners integrated into the drilling, and gives those owners the options of simply receiving royalties or becoming partners in the drilling.

“They are basically being compensated — using a method they choose — for the oil and gas produced from beneath their lands,” said Maureen Wren, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Riolo said he receives about $350 a month in royalties from the gas company, Norse Energy Corp.

The law also guarantees that landowners who want to sell the gas beneath their land won’t be held hostage by a minority of their neighbors, an industry official said.

“If you have a majority of landowners that want to have a well developed and you had a landowner with half an acre, that half-acre holdout could preclude the other landowners throughout the whole 640 acres from having their resources developed and gaining an economic benefit from it,” said Brad Gill, executive director of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York. “That would not be fair at all.”

Under existing state law, gas companies draw up a “spacing unit,” an area of up to a square mile, or 640 acres, under which they plan to extract natural gas. If the owners of at least 60 percent of that land agree to let their gas be extracted, the remaining landowners can be required to become part of the unit.

Those landowners — referred to as “uncontrolled owners” — can choose to become a partner in the well, sharing the costs and profits, or can elect to receive simple royalty payments. Those payments would be no less than the lowest percentage paid to anyone else in that unit — typically at least 12.5 percent of the value of the gas attributed to their land.

Compulsory integration has been in place for a long time under traditional gas drilling methods, which generally drill a single, straight well that taps into a large pocket of gas underground.

The newer techniques of high-volume hydrofracking and extensive horizontal drilling in deep shale, however, are more controversial. They involve drilling thousands of feet down into shale, turning and drilling more than a mile horizontally, and injecting millions of gallons of water infused with chemicals to shatter the shale and release gas.

“It’s like the difference between a Model T and a Maserati,” said Tony Ingraffea, a Cornell University professor of civil and environmental engineering.

The state is still drafting regulations on the high-volume hydrofracking, and no permits will be issued until later this year or early 2011, the state DEC said.

Some predict that compulsory integration will come to the forefront of the hydrofracking debate once permits are issued.

“If people get angry enough once the Marcellus shale drilling starts, there will be more of an uproar,” said Jane Welsh, an attorney in Hamilton who represents clients who have been forced into drilling areas. “You’re going to be talking about a lot more land coming in via uncontrolled owners.”

Across Central New York and the Southern Tier, coalitions of homeowners have sprung up to try to negotiate the best deal with companies who want to lease land for drilling.

“One of the major reasons for forming a coalition was compulsory integration,” said Eve Ann Shwartz, a farmer in the town of Hamilton and a founder of a coalition there that represents property owners with a combined 20,000 acres. “I think it’s eminent domain in sheep’s clothing.”

» Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 470-3251.