The crowd began getting unruly as hundreds packed the parking lot as they waited to buy the $220, limited-edition Nike shoe.

Screen caption from videoNike Shoe riot at Florida mall

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — More than 100 law enforcement officers in riot gear broke up an out-of-control crowd waiting to buy a new basketball shoe timed to be released during the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando.

Authorities say there were no injuries or arrests late Thursday outside the Florida Mall. The crowd began getting unruly as hundreds packed the parking lot as they waited to buy the $220, limited-edition Nike shoe.

The Orlando Sentinel reports the crowd was asked to wait across the street when the mall closed. But one person ran toward Foot Locker and others followed. Authorities formed a line and used shields to push back the crowd.

At a mall in Hyattsville, Md., police said Friday they arrested one person for disorderly conduct as a crowd of more than 100 awaited the shoe's release.

» Update: Nike cancels All-Star shoe release after near-riot in Orlando

Weeklong event shows educators appreciation with special offers

A few thousand educators from across Central New York and several states are learning this week that Ithaca is sweet on teachers.

Just ask Syracuse’s Andrea Bova, a pre-school occupational therapist in the city school district. Bova and a trio of her teaching friends spent part of their winter break this week reveling in the sixth-annual Ithaca Loves Teachers celebration.

More than 200 businesses — from nail salons to chocolate shops, restaurants and wineries — are offering free and discounted services to teachers and their families and friends as a gesture of this college-based community’s appreciation of educators.

On Tuesday, between getting their nails done and heading to a winery, Bova and her companions drove to Trumansburg’s Life’s So Sweet Chocolates where owner, Darlynne Overbaugh, was giving a demonstration on how she makes chocolate treats like truffles and chocolate buttercups. Several times during the 35-minute presentation in her sweet-smelling kitchen, Overbaugh passed out free samples to a roomful of teachers and a few children in tow.

“It was worth the drive, absolutely. I do think Ithaca is sweet on teachers,” Bova said.

Friend Jillian Scanlon, a special education teacher in Syracuse, said it was especially nice to be recognized at a time when teachers are sometimes criticized for everything from making too much money to not doing a good job.

“It’s nice to be appreciated and have people recognize us for the work we’re doing and how we’re changing lives and say ‘we value you,’” Scanlon said.

By mid-week, nearly 4,700 teachers, family and friends from 116 cities and 10 states as far away as Colorado had registered to participate in the event, according to Bruce Stoff, one of the organizers.

Stoff, who is with the Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau, expected this year’s celebration to break last year’s attendance record when about 5,000 people partook in the festival. This year’s event runs through Sunday.

“It’s a record year for sure, we’ve been slammed. We chalk it up to good weather, an improving economy and an audience that was really looking forward to break week,” Stoff said.

Bob Steinkamp, a member of the Tompkins County Tourism Marketing Committee, estimated the event adds about $500,000 to the local economy.

Stoff credited Ithaca, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, for rallying around teachers.

“To get a whole community to do anything is remarkable. The fact that Ithaca is doing this for the teachers speaks volumes about the city,” Stoff said.

Like Bova and Scanlon, Syracuse’s Ron Perry appreciated the gesture. Perry, principal at Mannsville Elementary School in Jefferson County, planned to take his wife out to dinner and spend the night in Ithaca.

“It seems there is an anti-education hysteria being whipped up across the country and it seems politicians need to have some bad guy and I guess we’re it ...,” Perry said. “So it’s nice to go to a place where they’re showing appreciation for teachers.”

Contact Scott Rapp at srapp@syracuse.com or 289-4839.

An AXA Group spokeswoman would not say how many people will lose their jobs in Syracuse.

Syracuse, NY – An AXA Equitable plan to cut its workforce by 5 to 7 percent this year will likely include some workers at the Syracuse operations, a company spokeswoman confirmed Thursday afternoon.

“As part of AXA Group’s global growth strategy, AXA Equitable is engaged in an ongoing process to drive revenue growth and improve operational effectiveness. Unfortunately that will include a reduction in our company’s workforce in 2012 by 5 to 7 percent, which will likely affect some business areas in Syracuse and other locations,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.

The spokeswoman did not say how many jobs would be lost in Syracuse.

The company’s goal is to cut jobs through normal attrition, as much as possible, she said.

The job cuts are not driven by sending the work overseas, the spokeswoman said.

Last June, AXA reported that it employed 901 workers at its signature tower office building in Syracuse.

Michael Piontkowski accepts deal calling for 10 years in state prison.

Syracuse, NY, - A Liverpool man admitted his guilt today in a residential burglary that turned violent when the victims returned home in the middle of the crime.

Michael Piontkowksi, 27, of 8163 Scotia Lane, pleaded guilty before County Judge Anthony Aloi to a single felony count of first-degree burglary in the Dec. 18 incident at the Invincible Drive home of Joshua and Meghan McBennett in the town of Onondaga.

Aloi promised Piontkowski a sentence of 10 years in state prison. The defendant could have faced a maximum penalty of 25 years.

According to authorities, the McBennetts returned home that Sunday morning to find an unfamiliar minivan with the engine running in their driveway.

While Joshua McBennett was checking the area around the house, his wife saw Piontkowski emerge from the garage carrying their laptop computer.

Piontkowski jumped in the minivan and crashed it into the garage door of the McBennett residence before crashing it into the vehicle in which Meghan McBennett and the couple's two children were sitting, officials said.

When the van stalled, Piontkowski pulled a knife, threatened Joshua McBennett with the weapon and ran from the scene, officials said. He was captured a short distance away by state police.

Defense lawyer Theodore Stenuf tried to have the case adjourned today to give him more time to gather medical records to support his contention Piontkowski suffers from schizophrenia.

But Aloi said the 10-year sentencing offer only remained on the table today. The defendant's medical history did not relieve him of responsibility for his "serious criminal conduct," the judge added.

Sentencing is set for March 19.

The judge said the amount of restitution Piontkowski will be ordered to pay for damage to the victims' home and vehicle will be determined at that time.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Kasmarek said authorities are still searching for a second suspect seen fleeing the victims' home the morning of the break-in.

The final move is delayed until mid-May to give Washington lawmakers consider service and benefit options.

Clay, NY – The U.S. Postal Service has decided to have its processing facility in Clay process mail from Binghamton as part of a nationwide consolidation effort.

The move won't take place before May 15 as Washington lawmakers explore policy changes that would help the Postal Service stay afloat in the face of declining first-class mail business. The Postal Service also wants to give affected employees time to make decisions about whether to move into different positions or retire, said Maureen Marion, speaking for the service.

But with first-class mail volume down 25 percent since 2006 as electronic competition grows, the national consolidation needs to happen, Marion said.

"Let's be very, very clear about what this means. The size of the Postal Service as we exist today, for the purposes of processing the mail volume we have to process, is too big," Marion said. "It is our intention to reset the size of the Postal Service for the purposes of processing the mail that we know we have and the future will bring."

The decision announced Thursday came at the end of a study begun in September of 264 Postal Service processing facilities across the nation. The Binghamton facility was among 223 that would be consolidated as the Postal Service seeks to slash $20 billion in operating costs by 2015, officials said.

About 70 positions would be lost at the Binghamton facility while about 50 positions would be created at Clay. It's possible that employees affected in Binghamton could land in other Postal Service jobs, Marion said.

With the transfer, all mail processing would end at the Binghamton Mail Processing Center, but window service and business mail acceptance would continue and post office boxes would continue to be available at the Henry Street facility, officials said. Mail destined for the Binghamton area which now is processed in Binghamton would go through Clay instead.

A similar consolidation would shift mail processing from Buffalo to suburban Rochester, canceling 620 positions at one end while creating 420 at the other, DemocratAndChronicle.com reported.

Nine other facilities across New York were approved for consolidation. Facilities in Bethpage and Garden City survived.

As the result of a separate study, Postal Service officials decided in late fall to consolidate mail processing from Utica to Clay. That transfer is expected to take place by late spring, after alterations needed at the Clay plant are finished, Marion said. About 100 positions are expected to be eliminated in Utica while about 60 are created in Clay, she said.

Officials did not set a date for any of the other consolidations taking place. Under an agreement reached in December with members of the U.S. Senate they can’t happen before May. 15. The moratorium is meant to give lawmakers time to enact alternatives.

Jim Lostumbo, president of National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 134 in Syracuse, said union members hope Congress will intervene against consolidation.

"It's not set in stone as far as we're concerned, even though (Postal Service officials) have determined that's what they are going to do," he said.

Marion said the moratorium was meant to give Congress time to consider Postal Service requests. Among them is to consider letting postal service officials make more decisions with less oversight so they will have more flexibility to develop and adjust products. They also want Congress to let the service streamline employee health benefits, she said.

The moves also are contingent on the outcome of proposals to revise service standards. These including ending Saturday delivery and changing guaranteed first-class delivery times from one to three days to two to three days.

Going to five-day-a-week delivery could save $3 billion annually, Marion said.

Lostumbo said union members fear such a move might further drive customers to competitors.

The Postal Service is an independent government agency that does not receive taxpayer funds. It lost $5.1 billion last year, an improvement from an $8.5 billion loss in 2010 but worse than the $3.8 billion it lost in 2009, according to a financial document on its website.

Vincent Brush faces two to four years in state prison for stealing more than $5,000 from seven senior citizens in home-repair and yard-work scam.

View full sizeDick Blume / The Post StandardVincent Brush pleads guilty in Onondaga County Court. He was paid by elderly people for doing handyman work that he did not complete.

Syracuse, NY - A DeWitt man accused of scamming senior citizens in a door-to-door scam promising to do odd jobs admitted his guilt today.

Vincent Brush, 30, of 2 Gregory Parkway, pleaded guilty before County Judge Anthony Aloi to a single felony count of first-degree scheme to defraud.

Aloi promised Brush the maximum penalty of two to four years in state prison when he is sentenced March 19. The judge also ordered Brush to pay $5,129.35 in restitution.

According to police, Brush went door-to-door in the Syracuse and DeWitt areas offering to do yard work and small home-repair jobs for senior citizens. Authorities said victims paid cash in advance and, in one case, provided Brush with a credit card and PIN.

Officials also said Brush contacted some of the victims multiple times seeking more money.

But authorities said he never did any work for the money he took.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Dotzler said Brush approached at least 11 victims and got seven of them to give him money. Most of the victims lost only about $100 to $150, but one lost more than $3,000 to Brush in the scam, the prosecutor said.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. That's why you're going to state prison," Aloi told Brush in accepting his guilty plea.

Comedian Bill Maher is putting his money where his mouth is.

View full sizeAP Photo/Damian DovarganesBill Maher poses for a photo in Los Angeles.

On Yahoo’s new live comedy Web channel last night, comedian and talk show host Bill Maher announced at his stand up comedy show, "CrazyStupidPolitics," that he would donate $1 million to Priorities USA Action, a pro-Obama Super PAC (Priorities USA Action).

“My surprise tonight is I would like to tonight announce a donation to the Obama Super PAC—which has the very unfortunate tongue-twister name ‘Priority (sic) USA Action’,” Maher said. “I know, it was named by Borat. But tonight I would like to give that PAC one million dollars.”

In a tweet after the event, Maher said the announcement was a surprise to the Yahoo! organizers.

As of February 24, 2012, 338 groups organized as Super PACs have reported total receipts of $130,330,844 and total independent expenditures of $60,365,884 in the 2012 cycle.

» Learn about Super PAC's

Despite a mild winter, people continue venturing onto the ice on New York lakes — and emergency crews keep having to rescue them. Watch video

CROWN POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Despite a mild winter, people continue venturing onto the ice on New York lakes — and emergency crews keep having to rescue them.

The latest rescue occurred Thursday afternoon off the western shore of Lake Champlain at Crown Point, on the Vermont border 100 miles north of Albany. Officials say five adults and three children out ice fishing got trapped when the ice dislodged from the shoreline and left them separated from land by a wide gap of open water.

Authorities tell the Press-Republican of Plattsburgh that firefighters used ladders and inflatable gear to rescue the group.

The ice rescue followed three others earlier this week, two on Oneida Lake in central New York and one on Saratoga Lake. Officials say ice conditions are dangerous because of mild temperatures.

Judge rejects prosecution request to sentence Mario Clark to serve up to life in prison as a persistent felony offender.

Syracuse, NY - A Monroe County man was sentenced today to serve 25 to 30 years in state prison for a series of crimes authorities said terrorized the Sedgwick neighborhood in Syracuse last year.

Mario Clark, 41, of Brockport, apologized in court this morning for his crimes.

While none of the victims was physically injured, state Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti noted the three who testified at Clark's trial last month clearly were "really scared to death" by his conduct.

Clark was found guilt Jan. 27 of two counts each of second-degree burglary and third-degree robbery.

One set of charges stemmed from an incident on Feb. 12, 2011, in which Clark accosted and robbed a man in the victim's Clifton Place home after asking to come in to use the bathroom.

The other set of charges stemmed from an incident May 20 in which Clark accosted and robbed a woman in her Brattle Road home after asking for a drink of water.

Brunetti sentenced Clark to serve 10 years in prison for each of the burglary charges and 2 1/2 to five years for each of the robbery counts. The judge then ordered all four of those sentences to be served consecutively, adding up to a total penalty of 25 to 30 years behind bars for Clark.

Clark then pleaded guilty today to a third set of burglary and robbery charges stemming from a second May 20 incident in which a Sedgwick Drive resident was accosted and robbed in his home.

Brunetti imposed a five-year penalty for that crime to be served at the same time instead of consecutively.

Authorities said Clark had done odd jobs for the victims before returning to the neighborhood to rob them.

Assistant District Attorney Kari Arnold asked Brunetti to sentence Clark to serve up to life in state prison as a persistent felony offender because of his lengthy criminal history.

Arnold said Clark's criminal history appeared to become more violent with time. And she said the probation department pre-sentence report indicated he was a high likelihood to offend again in the future.

But the judge rejected that persistent felony offender request, noting the consecutive penalties he was planning to impose amounted to an adequate sentence.

Defense lawyer Aurora Flores argued imposing maximum consecutive penalties on Clark would be unfairly harsh. She said he had owned up to his responsibility for the crimes and had been trying to address in jail the substance abuse problems that have driven his criminal career.

She said none of the people for whom Clark did odd jobs ever complained about the quality of his work. And she said the situation easily could have been worse if it had been Clark's intent to hurt anyone during the incidents.

While the penalty imposed by Brunetti was lengthy, it was not the maximum.

Clark could have faced a total of 37 to 44 years for the two incidents that led to the trial convictions.

He has prior convictions in Erie County and Buffalo for robbery, criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny, officials said when he was arrested in the crime spree here last year.

David L. Reed will work on ways to create revenue for the organization.

Syracuse, NY – FOCUS Greater Syracuse Inc. has hired business consultant David L. Reed as its director of new initiatives, the non-profit organization said this morning.

Reed is the founder and president of Reed Business Law, P.C. and Mirador Consulting.

He is a graduate of Westhill High School and has diplomas from Dartmouth University and Syracuse University’s College of Law.

Reed worked as a lawyer for Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb before returning to the area in 2008 to open a firm specializing in strategic consulting and law.

Since his return, Reed has has worked with the CNY International Business Alliance, Syracuse Tomorrow, Inc., Syracuse First, Centerstate CEO, and FOCUS.

Reed will focus on the long-term sustainability of FOCUS Greater Syracuse, with an eye toward creating revenue and enhancing opportunities that don’t rely on government grants, the not-for-profit said. His responsibilities include planning, research, business development, marketing and communications.

Executive Director Chuckie Holstein invited members of the community to meet David Reed at the third annual Wisdom Keeper event at the Oncenter on April 4.

Officers were called to the house around 1 p.m. Thursday for a report of a man threatening a woman with a knife

Authorities say a woman and a man have been found dead in a Schenectady home in what police are calling a murder-suicide, according to the Associated Press.

Police tell local media outlets that officers were called to the house around 1 p.m. Thursday for a report of a man threatening a woman with a knife. Authorities say when officers arrived, they found the man and woman dead inside the home.

Police say the man killed the woman, then committed suicide.

Officials haven't released their names, details of the couple's relationship or how they died.

More Details (Times Union)

• Neighbors say the man and woman, whom they believed to be in either their late 30s or early 40s were Guyanese immigrants.

• The man fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend multiple times, cut her throat, and then hung himself with a rope in the closet of a their apartment.

Also: A Dolly Parton song you might actually like.

View full sizeFrom criggo.com

DEER PARK, Texas (AP) -- A sting operation by a suburban Houston police department netted one of their own when surveillance cameras caught an officer repeatedly stealing colleagues' food and drinks from the refrigerator in the station's break room.

Deer Park police Officer Kevin Yang was charged with misdemeanor theft and suspended for 30 days without pay. Deer Park Police Chief Greg Griggs tells KTRK-TV of Houston that a class C misdemeanor conviction would not keep Yang from returning to duty.

Griggs says he authorized the video sting because the thefts have been going on for too long. Even though the items being stolen may be of trivial value, Griggs says theft is theft.

Yang tells KTRK that he was merely taking it upon himself to keep the shared refrigerator clean.

In other news

» Dolly Parton's other voice. Slowing her down makes her sound much, much better.

» Campaign spat in New Mexico: Debate over which candidate hired the topless dancer to show up at a campaign headquarters.

» A woman who takes 19 hours to make a 3.5-hour trip -- seven of those miles driving the wrong way on a divided highway -- insists she wasn't lost.

» Why Greece is in such trouble: Company wants to start an online business but can't unless employees provide stool samples, among other things.

» Speaking of stool samples ...

This year's medallion is still hidden somewhere in Onondaga County.

By Elizabeth Sauchelli
Contributing writer

Scott Brennick is on his lunch break. Dressed in business clothes, the Manlius resident is combing the paths of Onondaga Lake Park to search for the hidden medallion.

“I’ve been reading the clues pretty closely every day,” Brennick said. “The park seems to fit the clues.”

The 25th annual Post-Standard Treasure Hunt is in its eighth day and searchers seem to have a pretty good idea of where it is.

Mike Petrivelli and Ryan Schneible pointed to Clues No. 1 and No. 2 as the most telling hints that the Medallion is hidden in Onondaga Lake Park.

“Well, it says a place you can walk and run,” said Petrivelli of Liverpool.

This is the first year that Petrivelli and Schneible have participated in the treasure hunt.

“It seems like it would be a fun thing to do,” Petrivelli said.

It was their first day searching.

“We just can’t seem to find the thing,” said Schneible of Cicero.

Kara Morris and Diana Ucchino of Baldwinsville were also in their first day of searching.

Morris said Friday’s Clue No. 8 about the string of lights was one of the hints that led her to believe the medallion is hidden at the park.

“It just sounded fun,” Ucchino said. “I know a bunch of people who were doing it and I wanted to look into it.”

Tiffany Stubbmann of Syracuse is in her second day of searching. Like Morris, Friday’s clue led her to Onondaga Lake Park.

Matt Bain, also of Syracuse, joined her in her search today. He said Clue No. 7 about the fire keeper hinted at the park. Earlier in the day, he and Stubbmann drove to Highland Forrest to look for the medallion.

“It’s exciting to see everybody looking,” Stubbmann said.

For Brennick, there is more to the contest than finding the medallion.

“For me, it’s about connecting with the area, the nature, for seeing parts of the county I usually wouldn’t get to see,” he said. Brennick has participated in the treasure hunt before, but has never found the medallion.

“I keep looking. Someday. One of these years.”

Today's Treasure Hunt clue was the eighth clue to the location of the hidden medallion.

Solve the clues and find the medallion, and you'll win $1,000. Double that to $2,000 if you're a home-delivered subscriber.

Are you hunting for the medallion? Have you seen people hunting for the medallion? Share your stories below.

» 2012 Post-Standard Treasure Hunt: Clue No. 8 and reader comments
» Video: Search underway for the Winterfest Medallion [News Channel 9]
» Submit your own photos

Two decisions by Family Court Judge Kimberly Seager recently were overturned by an appellate court, and a third is being appealed.

Oswego County, NY -- Oswego County lawmakers are asking an administrative judge to review Family Court Judge Kimberly Seager’s record for returning foster children to their parents.

They’re concerned Seager sometimes sends children back to parents or guardians who are not fit to receive them.

Two such decisions by Seager recently were overturned by an appellate court, and a third is being appealed.

Oswego County Legislature Chairman Fred Beardsley said he will send a letter to Chief Administrative Judge James Tormey in Syracuse Monday to discuss concerns about Seager.

Beardsley said legislators received “concerns from a number of (county) departments” about such decisions.

“We want to make sure we’re being proactive to be sure another disaster doesn’t happen,” he said.

Beardsley was referring to the case of Erin Maxwell, an 11-year-old girl found to be living in squalor, often with too little food to eat.

She was found strangled in August 2008 in her parents’ town of Palermo home. Eventually, her stepbrother, Alan Jones, was convicted of murdering her. Her father and stepmother, Lindsey and Lynn Maxwell, spent nearly two years in county jail on convictions of endangering the welfare of a child.

While the family court did not handle the case, Oswego County came under much public criticism for failing to intercede on the girl’s behalf.

Beardsley said legislators want Tormey “to take a look at the situation.”

The legislators can’t address Seager directly, because she is in a different branch of government than they, the judicial branch, he said.

As the judicial administrator in Central New York, Tormey may be able to “take a look at it and ensure us we’re on the right track,” Beardsley said.

Seager, of Volney, served on the county legislature as an Oswego County legislator from 1997 until being elected to a 10-year term as Family Court judge in November 2008. A Republican, she also served as majority leader in the legislature.

Seager deferred all calls to Tormey's office for comment.

Beardsley said legislators and others contend, more often than not, Seager rules in favor of keeping children in the custody of parents or family members when issues of placement arise.

Oswego County Commissioner of Social Services Gregg Heffner agrees. In some cases handled by his department “the judge didn’t consider the evidence,” he said.

One Seager ruling that was overturned involved a child removed from a foster family when a grandmother petitioned to take custody.

The Appellate Court ruled she erred by giving the grandmother custody, because the Department of Social Services provided “substantial and largely unrefutted evidence” that the grandmother “lacks the capacity to provide for the child’s emotional and intellectual development.”

The Appellate Court noted the grandmother had a lengthy history with social services, including not providing adequate food and medical care for children and not having a clean home. The court and Heffner said the grandmother’s own four children had been taken away from her for periods during their childhoods.

“Biology doesn’t necessarily mean a person can provide safety for a child,” Heffner said. “What we need to see more of is an agreement on steps we take as a community to protect our children.”

Heffner and Beardsley said lawmakers and social services aren’t looking to vilify Seager or have her removed from the bench. Heffner said they want to be sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to providing safe, healthy environments for children.

“We are not anti-Family Court,” Heffner said. “We are pro child.”

Heffner said both Social Services and Family Court “have goals and limitations in our process. How do we bridge that gap? This shows Oswego County is serious about child safety and it’s really important to understand it is not a battle between the community and the judge.”

“This is definitely not political personal,” Beardsley said. “This is not a witchhunt.”

Military officials say 20 people have died in the protests, including two U.S. soldiers.

View full sizeAP Photo/Lai Seng SinMuslim protesters hold placards during a protest against the burning of Qurans in Afghanistan by U.S. troops, outside the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. U.S. President Barack Obama apologized to Afghans for the burning of Qurans at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan, trying to assuage rising anti-American sentiment as an Afghan soldier gunned down two American troops during another day of angry protests.

STERLING, Va. (AP) — A senior Pentagon official is apologizing to Washington-area Muslims for the burning of Qurans at a military base in Afghanistan.

Peter Lavoy, acting assistant secretary of defense for Asia and Pacific security affairs, says the military is investigating and that all troops are being retrained in the handling of religious materials.

Lavoy's remarks were Friday at a mosque in suburban Washington, D.C. They come after protests across Afghanistan over the burning of several Qurans at a U.S. military base. Military officials say 20 people have died in the protests, including two U.S. soldiers.

President Barack Obama has apologized for the burning, which authorities say was a mistake. But the protests continue.

The mosque's imam called on Muslims to respond peacefully and with tolerance.

Related news:
» US general calms troops after Afghanistan deaths [Newsday]
» Canadians warned to avoid Afghanistan as Qur'an riots continue [Calgary Herald]
» Pakistan calls on Taliban to participate in peace talks with Afghanistan [Fox News]

Gusts could reach 65 mph in some parts of upstate, 60 mph in Onondaga County, the National Weather Service says.

Syracuse, NY – Winds gusting as high as 65 mph now are expected to blast the Syracuse area, the Finger Lakes region and western New York tonight and Saturday, the National Weather Service says.

Weather service forecasters late this morning upgraded a wind advisory issued earlier to a high wind warning as the threat of stiffer-than-expected winds grew. Tree damage, downed power lines and property damage are possible and residents should be prepared for blocked roads and power outages, the weather service said.

The warning period begins at 7 p.m. for Onondaga, southern Cayuga, Madison, Oneida, Yates, Seneca, Steuben and Schuyler counties and extends until 7 p.m. Saturday. West winds 25 to 35 mph could gust to 60 mph. The fiercest winds are expected tonight but gusts still could reach 40 to 50 mph on Saturday, the weather service said.

The high wind warning will be in effect from 5 p.m. today through 2 a.m. Saturday in Oswego, northern Cayuga, Livingston, Ontario and Allegany counties with winds gusting up to 65 mph, forecasters said.

Counties farther west were warned to expect gusts up to 60 mph from 3 p.m. to midnight.

Syracuse.com's weather page has current conditions, forecasts, maps, radar and more.

The culprit is a strong system of low pressure that is expected to move this evening from northern Ohio across Lake Ontario, forecasters said.

Snow also remains in the forecast.

A lake effect snow warning will be in effect in Oswego County from 10 p.m. today to 5 p.m. Saturday. Eight to 12 inches of snow could accumulate in areas under the most persistent snow bands.

In Onondaga County, 1 to 2 inches of snow is forecast for tonight and 5 to 9 additional inches are possible Saturday, the weather service said.

A winter storm warning is in effect through 6 a.m. Saturday in Jefferson and Lewis counties with snow and sleet being the chief hazards.

A publisher at the Enquirer called the photo a work of art. The tabloid hasn't released details on how the photo was obtained.

View full sizeHarry DiOrio/The Post-StandardFile photo: Whitney Houston, on a cold September night at the New York State Fairgrounds in 1986

Whitney Houston, 48, was found submerged in the bath tub in her Beverly Hills hotel room on the eve of the Grammy Awards earlier this month.

Just days after Houston's death, The National Enquirer published an unauthorized photo of the star lying in an open coffin on the cover of their tabloid magazine.

The headline was "WHITNEY: THE LAST PHOTO!" and the photo showed Houston lying in a gold coffin wearing a purple dress, jewels worth $500,000 and gold slippers on her feet.

The photograph bears no credit and The National Enquirer has not released any details about how they obtained it. No one from Houston’s family has called the photograph out as fraudulent.

On Twitter , people expressed shock and outrage. Media outlets called the decision to print the photo tasteless and morbid.

FoxNews.com spoke to National Enquirer publisher Mary Beth Wright about her decision to print the photo. She said the cover was a work of art.

“I thought it was beautiful,” publisher Mary Beth Wright told FoxNews.com.

Houston’s funeral, held last Saturday at a Newark Church, was live streamed by the Associated Press with permission from the family. The stream had about 2 million unique visitors.

What do you think of the unauthorized photo?

Residents say water problems started about a year ago after Rex Energy Corp. of State College drilled two wells.

The Associated PressKimberlie McEvoy collects some of her well water as it comes from her kitchen sink at her home in Evans City, Pa., on Thursday. McEvoy and other residents say the water problems started about a year ago, after Rex Energy Corp. drilled two wells. But a map Rex provided also shows gas wells from other companies in the area.

EVANS CITY, Pa. — A western Pennsylvania woman says state environmental officials refused to do follow-up tests after their lab reported her drinking water contained chemicals that could be from nearby gas drilling.

At least 10 households in the rural Woodlands community, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, have complained that recent drilling impacted their water in different ways.

The Department of Environmental Protection first suggested that Janet McIntyre's well water contained low levels of only one chemical, toluene. But a review of the DEP tests by The Associated Press found four other volatile organic compounds in her water that can be associated with gas drilling.

DEP spokesman Kevin Sunday said on Friday that the low chemical concentrations were not a health risk, and suggested that the contamination may have come from the agency's laboratory itself or from abandoned vehicles on or near the property. But Sunday didn't answer why DEP failed to do follow-up tests if the DEP suspected that its own lab was contaminated.

One public health expert said the lack of follow-up tests by DEP doesn't make sense.

"DEP cannot just simply walk away," said Dr. Bernard Goldstein, professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.

McIntyre and other residents say the water problems started about a year ago, after Rex Energy Corp. of State College, Pa., drilled two wells. But a map Rex provided also shows gas wells from other companies in the area.

Residents in the community have been complaining for nearly a year, but DEP never revealed the possible presence of chemicals to the general public.

Rex has been supplying drinking water to many households, but has sent letters notifying them it will no longer deliver drinking water after Feb. 29.

In a statement, Rex said that the wells of residents who have complained are from 2,100 to 4,600 feet from its drilling locations. The company noted that many other homeowners in the area haven't raised complaints or concerns.

The Associated PressSigns opposing the hydraulic fracturing process of drilling for gas, or "fracking," are posted at the front of the yard of Janet McIntyre 's Evans City, Pa., on Thursday. McIntyre says state environmental officials refused to do follow-up tests after their lab reported her drinking water contained chemicals that could be from nearby gas drilling.

Rex also said there are old oil wells in the region that could impact some ground water, and that there were "no notable differences in water chemistry between pre- and post-drill water quality tests of the water wells in question."

McIntyre's water showed detectable levels of t-Butyl alcohol, acetone, chloromethane, toluene and 1, 3, 5-trimethylbenzene. The chemicals can be used in the high-pressure hydraulic fracturing process that has led to a production boom of deep shale gas in Pennsylvania. But some are also commonly used in households and other industry, such as toluene, a paint thinner.

Goldstein said the multi-chemical mix is what is so unusual, since it suggests either multiple sources of contamination, or an industry that uses many different chemicals.

"Where would you get such a strange mixture?" Goldstein asked. "Is this coming from drilling?" He added that the low concentrations shown in the test may not be a health threat, and may not be connected to gas drilling. But if DEP's own laboratory was even a potential source of the chemicals, the agency had the obligation to follow up.

"You've got to pursue the finding," Goldstein said, since if the lab was at fault the variety of chemicals that showed up "makes no sense at all, except a really sloppy lab."

Sunday said an independent peer review of the DEP laboratory found it to be "a well-managed, efficient and highly functional laboratory" that is "driven by a culture of customer service."

McIntyre told the AP that she repeatedly asked a DEP field worker for follow-ups after two separate tests last summer showed the chemicals, as well as elevated levels of some natural underground compounds such as barium.

"He said no," she said, leaving her feeling that she had no one to turn to for an objective public health opinion. She also said the chemicals didn't show up on pre-drill water tests.

As drillers have poured into Pennsylvania to tap its vast Marcellus Shale gas reserves, residents and environmentalists have raised concerns over the impact or potential impact to water supplies. Water contamination in Dimock, in northeast Pennsylvania, has riled some homeowners for months.

State regulators determined that Houston, Texas-based Cabot Oil & Gas Co. drilled faulty gas wells that allowed methane to escape into Dimock's aquifer. The company paid heavy fines but denied responsibility; it has been banned from drilling in a 9-square-mile area of Dimock since April 2010.

Another Woodlands resident who complained about dramatic changes in her water over the last year said DEP staff suggested the bad smell was simply from garden slugs in her well, which is 300 feet deep.

"They just insult your intelligence. I don't trust the DEP," said Kim McEvoy, who lives about a mile from McIntyre.

McEvoy said she wants the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the community, and that she's come to that point because state environmental officials haven't answered her questions.

"Something has happened here," McEvoy said.

It's the second decision this week in favor of towns that have banned drilling.

For the second time this week, a state judge has ruled that towns have the power to ban gas drilling.

State Supreme Court Justice Donald F. Cerio Jr. today upheld the Otsego County town of Middlefield's zoning ordinance that outlawed gas drilling, including the controversial practice of hydrofracking.

On Tuesday, another judge made a similar ruling in favor of the town of Dryden.

Cerio's decision, like the one in the Dryden case, says that state law regulating gas drilling does not take away a town's right to enact zoning.

"The state maintains control over the 'how' of such procedures," Cerio wrote, "while the municipalities maintain control of the 'where.'"

» Read Cerio's decision

Both Dryden and Middlefield last year adopted new zoning regulations that listed gas drilling among the "prohibited uses." In Middlefield, a dairy farmer who had leased her land to a drilling company sued the town last October to overturn the ban.

Jennifer Huntington argued state law gave the Department of Environmental Conservation the sole power to regulate gas drilling.

Cerio, agreeing with the town, said the state gas law "does not serve to pre-empt a local municipality ... from enacting land use regulations within the confines of its geographical jurisdiction."

Huntington said she was disappointed by the ruling.

"We’ll probably end up appealing," she said.

» Decision on Dryden's fracking ban could set a national precedent [ProPublica]

» Related story: Tests find possible gas drilling chemicals in Western Pa. well water

Group has served the Syracuse African-American community for 93 years. "We started pulling back the layers on the onion .... and realized there was something wrong," chairman says.

Ellen M. Blalock/The Post-StandardNyla Thompson, 9, gets her face painted by Rhonda Revetter on the last day of winter break camp at the Dunbar Center in Syracuse.

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Dunbar Association, one of Syracuse’s oldest nonprofits serving the black community, has hired an accounting firm to audit its books after discovering its financial problems are even worse than it imagined.

A representative of Key Bank informed Dunbar last month it had maxed out its $10,000 line of credit and did not have enough money to pay its bills, said Steve Williams, chairman of Dunbar’s board of directors.

Williams said he and other board members did not know the severity of Dunbar’s financial situation until the bank official came to a board meeting Jan. 19.

“We started pulling back the layers on the onion .... and realized there was something wrong,” Williams said.

Dunbar will survive the crisis, the chairman said. The chance of Dunbar closing is “... very, very, very minimal,” he said.

Dunbar is examining all its programs, looking for potential cost savings, Williams said. Dunbar may have to cut some jobs, he said.

The association, founded 93 years ago, operates the Dunbar Center at 1453 S. State St. The organization provides a variety of services to children, families and senior citizens.

Dunbar has hired the Fust Charles Chambers accounting firm to do an audit which should be done in three weeks. It is also getting financial guidance from officials of the Syracuse Community Health Center.

“We realize now we need help and this isn’t something we can undertake ourselves,” Williams said. “We are committed to putting systems in place that will help Dunbar achieve sustainability.”

Dunbar’s financial problems came to light last year when the United Way cut off $200,000 in annual funding to the nonprofit because of concerns about its management.

Dunbar hired Julius Edwards as its new executive director last month. He replaced Louella Williams, a former Dunbar board president who became interim director a year ago after the previous director, Sharon Jack-Williams, left in a cost-saving move. (Steve Williams, Louella Williams and Sharon Jack-Williams are not related.)

Steve Williams said Louella Williams and Sharon Jack Williams consistently told the board spending cuts had been made to offset reductions in funding.

But the board discovered otherwise last month after the bank official’s visit.

“The deeper we looked, the more we found out it was more severe than we anticipated,” said Steve Williams, who added he does not know if the financial problems resulted from mismanagement or fraud. The audit may answer that question, he said.

Neither Louella Williams nor Sharon Jack-Williams could be reached for comment.

Dunbar incurred a budget deficit of about $23,000 in 2010, according to Williams. The financial results for 2011 are not available yet.

Reports filed with the IRS show Dunbar had deficits of $155,500 in 2009 and $50,051 in 2008.

Darla Chase, the vice chair of Dunbar’s board, said the organization is as vital to the community now as it was when it was founded.

“For every youth we have in that building participating in a program, that’s one teen that’s not on the street, hanging around on the corner, getting involved in the wrong things,” she said.

When Dunbar’s financial problems surfaced last year, many older Dunbar alumni rallied to support the nonprofit. They formed a group called “The Friends of Dunbar” dedicated to turning around the center.

Williams said the board has told that group of the latest financial setback.

“They were in shock as much as we were,” he said.

Dunbar continues to meet its payroll, but is not paying all its bills, he said. The nonprofit has been contacting creditors to explain the situation and asking for more time to catch up on its payments, he said.

Dunbar Association
Address: 1453 S. State St., Syracuse
Employees: 22
Purpose: A nonprofit that operates the Dunbar Center, a recreation center and human services agency providing after-school care, emergency food services and other programs for youth, families and senior citizens.
2010 budget: $1.1 million
People served annually: 5,000
History: Founded 93 years ago as a settlement house to help blacks migrating from the South.
Who is it named after? Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of the first African-Americans to gain national prominence as a poet. Born in 1872 in Dayton, Ohio, he was the son of ex-slaves who wrote short stories, novels, librettos, plays, songs, essays and poetry. His style encompassed two distinct voices – the standard English of the classical poet and the dialect of the turn-of-the-century black community in America.