The state lottery will make the official announcement at 10:30 a.m.

Clay, NY – Chadd Bill, a Liverpool father of three, has won $3 million in the state lottery.

State lottery officials will announce that he’s won the prize at a press conference at 10:30 a.m.

By 10 a.m. Bill and well wishers had already arrived at the Sunoco APlus market at 4744 Buckley Road to await the press conference.

The young man in a gray North Face jacket sat in a chair behind the snack counter as he waited for officials to make the announcement

The American, now 25, was convicted in 2009 in the murder of her British roommate in Perugia, but the conviction had been overturned.

Amanda Knox, the American college student whose 2009 conviction in a steamy murder case in Italy was later overturned, must stand trial again, a high Italian court ruled Tuesday.

Knox, who now attends the University of Washington, cannot be compelled to return to Italy for the retrial and her lawyer said she does not plan to return on her own, the Associated Press reported in a story carried by the Huffington Post.

Through a family spokeman, Knox said it was "painful" to learn the court sent her case back for revision, after the prosecution's theory of her involvement in Meredith Kercher's murder "has been repeatedly revealed to be completely unfounded and unfair."

She added:

"No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity."

Knox, now 25, and Kercher, a 21-year-old British subject, were roommates when Kercher's partially clothed body was found in a pool of blood, her throat slit, in 2007 in Perugia.

Knox and Raffaele Sollicito, now 29, were charged several days later. They were convicted of murder in December 2009. Both were sentenced to 25 years in prison; Knox, who falsely accused another person, ot an additional year for calumny, according to The New York Times.

Their convictions were overturned on appeal in 2011, but Kercher's family and Italian prosecutors brought the case last year to the Court of Cassation, Italy's highest criminal court.

The case will be reheard at a new appeals court in Florence either later this year or in 2014, the Times said

Francesco Maresca, the Kercher family lawyer, told the Times that the family was "jubilant."

“I am very happy. I had faith in the Court of Cassation. I was sure it would annul the acquittal . . . This ruling gives justice the chance to re-establish the truth. No matter what’s said, more than one person committed this crime.”

Do you think Amanda Knox should stand trial again? Leave a comment below.

Stephen DeProspero was convicted in 2011 of sexually abusing an autistic 10-year-old boy at a state-run group home in New Hartford.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's highest court has upheld the sex assault conviction of a New Hartford group home worker, concluding his rights against illegal search weren't violated when police belatedly found a deleted video from his digital camera after he asked for it back.

The Court of Appeals says the 2009 search warrant for Stephen DeProspero's computer and cameras remained in effect a year after it was issued and months after he was convicted of possessing child pornography.

The video, which state police didn't find on an initial examination that turned up one child porn image, shows him molesting a boy at the state-run group home in the Utica area.

DeProspero, of Rome, was convicted in 2011 of sexually abusing a severely autistic 10-year-old boy at a group home in New Hartford while working for the state Central New York Developmental Disabilities Services. DeProspero is serving an 18-year sentence in Attica state prison for that. He was later convicted in federal court of producing child pornography and faces a 40-year sentence.

An ambulance crew determined the toddler didn't need to be taken to a hospital.

GATES, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a western New York woman has been charged after police say she turned on a clothes dryer while her 2-year-old son was inside.

Police in the Rochester suburb of Gates tell local media that 17-year-old Jasmine Brown allowed her toddler to climb inside the dryer Saturday in the laundry room at St. Joseph's Villa, a group home with a program for young mothers.

Officials say the dryer was on for less than 30 seconds before another person intervened and removed the boy. An ambulance crew that checked out the child determined he didn't need to be taken to a hospital.

Police charged Brown with reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.

She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment and is being held Tuesday in the Monroe County Jail on $50,000 bail.

Martin Griswold is charged in the March 10 death of Darrell Mobley Jr.

Tom Slack, Matt Fraher and Terry McGinn, all of the Syracuse Police Department, look for evidence near 1811 E. Fayette St. where a 20-year-old man was killed. Ellen M. Blalock | eblalock@syracuse.com  

Syracuse, NY -- The Syracuse man charged with Darrell Mobley Jr.'s murder is on parole for charges that he provided a handgun to a suspect in a 2000 murder case, Chief Frank Fowler said this morning.

Martin Griswold, 32, of 1212 W. Colvin St., was released from prison in December 2010. He is accused of killing Mobley March 10.

At a news conference this morning, Fowler said that Griswold gave a handgun to his brother Darnell Griswold in 2000, who then used it to kill another man.

After an argument March 10 between Mobley Jr. and Martin Griswold at 1811 E. Fayette St., Griswold left with another man and later returned and fired multiple gunshots that struck and killed Mobley Jr., Fowler said.

According to court papers, Mobley was shot twice in the head and face. Griswold is accused of shooting a handgun at Mobley four to five times. Mobley was standing on the sidewalk in front of 1811 E. Fayette when he was shot.

Fowler would not elaborate about the argument but said that it was between two "groups." He would not say if the incident was gang related, he said.

Griswold was arrested Monday. He was arraigned in Syracuse City Court this morning before Judge Jim Cecile on charges of second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon and menacing, all felonies. He pleaded not guilty. He was denied bail.

A photo of Griswold was not released because police are still investigating the homicide and haven't spoken to all witnesses yet, Fowler said.

Martin Griswold was sentenced in 2000 to 10 years in state prison for his role in the death of Jevon Shepherd. Griswold admitted giving his brother the gun. Darnell Griswold was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Shepherd, 20, was killed by two gunshots to the chest as he answered a knock on the door of a vacant apartment at 1811 E. Fayette St., where he had spent the night.

That is the address of Parkside Commons, the same housing complex where Mobley was killed.

Senior citizens who receive enhanced benefits wouldn't be affected by proposed law.

Homeowners who have been receiving school tax exemptions will have to re-apply next year through the state tax department if legislators adopt the state budget proposal.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the new program will cut down on fraud and abuse in the School Tax Relief (STAR) program and will raise at least $1 million in revenues.

Senior citizens who receive the enhanced STAR exemption will not have to register again.

Instead of going to their local assessors, property owners who want the break on their school tax bills will have to apply to the state Department of Taxation and Finance by April 1, 2014. The tax department will send written notices to property owners at least two months before that.

That, state officials say, will keep property owners from illegally claiming the exemptions on two pieces of property in different municipalities. The tax department will also be able to look through income tax records to make sure homeowners meet income requirements for STAR.

“There is no existing statewide mechanism for assessors to determine whether a homeowner is receiving a STAR exemption illegally on two homes,” said Morris Peters, spokesman for the state budget division.

The statewide tax assessors organization doesn’t like the plan, though, because it bypasses them and local assessment boards. Under the proposed law, taxpayers would be able to appeal the tax department’s decision to the state Board of Real Property Tax Services – which is part of the tax department.

“You’re appealing to the same people who made the decision,” said Tom Frey, executive director of the New York State Assessors’ Association. “It takes away the free appeal from the (local) board of assessment review.”

STAR would become the only property exemption in which local assessors would have no say, Frey said.

State officials note that STAR is also the only exemption completely funded by the state. Under the STAR program, homeowners receive a break on their school taxes, and the state then pays that amount to the school district.

Exemption amounts vary by community. In Onondaga County, savings for homeowners range from $389 to $892.

More than 2.6 million homeowners receive the basic exemption and 650,000 senior citizens received the enhanced amount. The total savings to property taxpayers – and cost to the state – is $2.7 billion this year.

A state Comptroller’s Office audit last month estimated New York could lose $73 million a year by giving exemptions to people who don’t deserve them. The Rockland County district attorney says homeowners with multiple properties have defrauded the state of nearly $700,000 in school tax exemptions.

Basic STAR exemptions are designed for an owner-occupied, primary residence where the income of owners and their spouses totals less than $500,000. The enhanced STAR program gives a bigger tax break to senior citizens with incomes of $79,050 or less.

The proposed law also includes fines of upto $2,500 for property owners who illegally claim exemption. In addition, those property owners can be required to pay back six years of their STAR savings and barred from receiving an exemption for another six years.

Questions? Here's a list of assessors in Onondaga County.

Here are the STAR savings for school districts in Onondaga County:

STAR savings by locality.pdf

Had been member of OCC's Foundation board of trustees six years

John P. Sindoni Onondaga Community College  

Sindoni succeeds Connie Whitton, whose term expired in 2012. One vacant seat, to be appointed by the governor, remains on the 10-seat board.

Sindoni served on OCC's Foundation board of trustees from 2004-2010, and has served on the board of numerous other organizations including Catholic Charities, Christian Brothers Academy, Christopher Community, Eldercare Foundation, Franciscans in Collaborative Ministries, Woodlawn Cemetery, and has been a member of the Development Committee for On Point for College. He is also a member of the Knights of Malta.

“We are fortunate to add John to a highly talented group of trustees,” said Margaret M. “Meg” O’Connell, interim president. “John is very familiar with Onondaga and its unique place in the community."

Sindoni, of Cicero, is a graduate of Holy Cross College and Cornell University Law School. His areas of practice at Hiscock & Barclay include real estate, and financial institutions and lending. He and his wife, Cecilia, have six children and six grandchildren.

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

Chadd Bill says the $3 million in lottery winnings means his three children will go to good colleges and security for the family.

Clay, NY – Chadd Bill won $200 on the first lottery ticket he bought on Feb. 27. The second ticket he bought later that day will pay for his three children to go to college, and a lot more.

Bill, 32, a self-employed carpenter and father of three, won $3 million in the 50X the Money scratch-off game, the state lottery announced at a press conference today.

Bill was a double winner that fateful February day. An occasional lottery player, the first ticket he bought that day was a $200 winner.

“His kids nagged him to use the money to turn the cable back on,” said Dave Sullivan, Bill’s partner in a remodeling business. Bill used those winnings to pay the cable bill, he said.

Bill told the rest of the story at the press conference at the store where the $3 million winning ticket was sold.

Later that evening, as he was going to pick up his son from basketball, Bill stopped at the Sunoco APlus store on the corner of Buckley Road and Henry Clay Boulevard for a cup of coffee.

On a whim, he decided to buy another lottery ticket. The machine spit out a ticket indicating it was one of four remaining tickets in the machine for the game. Bill decided to buy the other three tickets.

He went back out to his truck to scratch the tickets and the word “Jackpot” appeared under the number 5. “The first ticket I scratched off was a winner,” Bill said.

Bill said he couldn’t believe it. It’s a prank, where are the cameras, he thought. Then the reality of winning $3 million set in.

“The first thing that went through my mind was my kids could to go a good college,” Bill said. “It was a huge relief.”

He went back into the store to check the ticket. “I wouldn’t let the lady hold it when she scanned it in. I would not let go,” Bill said.

Going back out to the truck he called Jennifer, his wife of 10 years. He told her he’d won the lottery and their three kids were going to college.

It took a while for the truth to set in, she said. “I thought he was joking.”

Next, Bill went to pick up his young kids, whom the Clay couple declined to identify.

“They’re too young to comprehend it,” he said. But one day, they’ll understand that their dad won the lottery, Bill said.

Bill’s winnings will be paid out in annual installments of $150,000 a year for 20 years, or $99,270 a year after taxes. He’s Onondaga County’s first Jackpot winner so far this year.

Bill wouldn’t talk about his finances, other than to say the winnings will help. He said he will continue to work with Sullivan remodeling homes.

The prize money means the couple went from late nights worrying about how to pay the bills, to their children going to good colleges, Jennifer Bill said.

“It’s not going to change me. It’s not going to change my family. It’s security,” Bill said of the winnings.

Bill’s friends and family came to the press conference to wish him well. Sullivan strode into the store carrying a red bottle bag calling out “I’ve got the bubbly.”

As Channel 9's camera rolled, Bill re-enacted buying the winning lottery ticket for his friend Joe Volpe.

Not one number matched, Volpe said. “It would look like Chadd Bill used all his luck picking his winning lottery ticket. For me he couldn't get one number,” Volpe wrote in an email. "LOL!"

The fire was quickly contained once firefighters arrived.

Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse firefighters responded to reports of flames coming from a residence on Hunt Avenue, near Onondaga Creek.

The fire shortly before 1 p.m. was reported at 234 Hunt Ave., near Elmhurst Avenue. By 1:05 p.m., emergency responders reported that firefighters had most of the fire out on the first floor and were checking the second floor.

Witnesses told dispatchers that everyone was outside of the residence.

A reporter and photographer are headed to the scene. Check back to Syracuse.com for more information as it becomes available.

William Harper, who ran for an at-large council seat in 2005 and 2007, pleaded guilty to felony charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.

William Harper, shown in a file photo from his 2005 campaign for Syracuse Common Council, pleaded guilty on Monday March 25, 2013 to felony drug trafficking and money laundering charges in U.S. District Court in Syracuse, N.Y. C.W. McKeen | File photo  

Syracuse, NY— A man who twice ran for Syracuse Common Council seats and three co-defendants have admitted they conspired to sell large amounts of a synthetic drug known as "Molly."

William Harper, 54, of Syracuse, a Republican candidate for at-large council seats in 2005 and 2007, pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking charge Monday in U.S. District Court, U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian announced today.

Harper also pleaded guilty to money laundering, admitting that he wired $2,700 from a bank account held by a Syracuse art gallery, the Orange Line Gallery, to a company in Shanghai to pay for "Molly," which is similar to ecstasy and is often called bath salts.

The drug ring was responsible for importing over 100 kilograms of "Molly" manufactured in factories in China from January 2010 through April 2011, according to Hartunian.

Also pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute the drug were Charles Demott Jr., 45, of Liverpool; Mary Oot-Gambuzza, 45, of East Syracuse; and Jon Radway, 33, of Pompey.

The four were accused of being members of a ring, based in Central New York, that involved 22 co-conspirators in New York, California, Texas, Virginia and the Peoples Republic of China.

Sixteen of the defendants have entered guilty pleas. Five are scheduled to go on trial April 29 in Syracuse. One defendant, Lei Zhang, also known as Eric Chang, remains a fugitive.

The defendants face potential prison terms up to 20 years and fines up to $1 million. Sentencings are scheduled in August.

These prosecutions resulted from an investigation launched in the spring of 2009 by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies which included the use of wiretaps.

A grand jury indictment against Harper accused him of making 30 wire transfers totaling $68,575 from January to October 2010 to a co-conspirator in China.

Many of Harper's wire transfers were made in the name of his girlfriend, Melissa Tiffany, or her business, Orange Line Gallery, according to the indictment.

Tiffany, 39, pleaded guilty in June to participating in the drug ring.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carla Freedman and John Duncan.

Contact Mike McAndrew at mmcandrew@syracuse.com or 315-470-3016.

The accident, which is on Engles Road, happened Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff's office said.

Oswego, NY-- Deputies from the Oswego County Sheriff's Office are investigating a serious car accident in the town of Oswego.

The accident, which is on Engles Road, happened Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff's office said.

We will post more information as it becomes available.

The proposed 2013-14 state budget includes funding to create the first statewide electronic handgun permit database.

New York state will spend $28 million to create the first statewide handgun permit database, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said Tuesday March 26, 2013. Stockbyte  

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says New York will spend $27.74 million to develop the first statewide electronic handgun permit database as part of its new gun control law.

Silver tells The Associated Press today that the measure will create a central database of pistol permit records now kept at the county level where handgun owners live.

It will allow statewide cross-checking with records of crimes and involuntary commitments to mental health facilities.

The law exempts records of individual handgun owners from the state Freedom of Information Law. That would avoid the conflict that arose when a newspaper reported the names of handgun permit holders and their addresses.

"This database will be a powerful tool that will aid in the enforcement of New York's gun control measures and keep more of our citizens out of harm's way," Silver said.

The database is a key element of the state gun control law adopted in January, a month after the Newtown, Conn., shooting. Another element of New York's law is a broader ban on military-style rifles often called assault weapons.

The law has met with strong opposition by mostly upstate Republicans who see the law as an assault on Second Amendment rights. However, most New Yorkers support stronger gun control measures, particularly residents of New York City and its suburbs.

The funding is in the tentative state budget expected to gain final legislative approval in the Assembly later this week.

The store would be at the corner of Highbridge and West Genesee streets in Fayetteville.

A new Dunkin' Donuts store is being proposed in Fayetteville at the corner of Highbridge and West Genesee streets in the village.

The store would replace the old Village Cleaners property, which has been empty since summer 2012, at 129 W. Genesee St.

Brian Bouchard, a design engineer with CHA Consulting Inc., said the proposed Dunkin' Donuts would likely be 1,500 to 2,000 square feet and would not include a drive-thru.

JFJ Holdings LLC, the management company, is still working on details for a full site plan for the new store at 129 W. Genesee St., but Bouchard presented the concept to the village planning board recently for its review.

Bouchard said he is awaiting required feedback from both the Onondaga County and New York State Department of Transportation before proceeding to the next step.

Current plans call for one driveway out onto Highbridge Street, but feedback from the DOT will help determine driveway location and the amount of parking, Bouchard said.

The applicant is still working on details for a full site plan, and is still in the early stages with the planning board.

Village planning board members said it's critical that the store's architecture fit into the character of the surrounding area. Also, because the location is near a residential area, the board will need to know details about delivery times, the exhaust system and other issues that could impact the local neighborhood both during and after business hours.

The high-traffic corner has been attractive to other developers in the past, but those have fallen through.

The Walgreens project didn't receive the approval necessary from the DOT, said Fayetteville Mayor Mark Olson, and that will be the biggest hurdle facing the Dunkin' Donuts proposal.

"It's a tricky corner,'' he said.

As the project proceeds, a public hearing will be scheduled to gather residents' input, Olson said.

If the proposed store is approved, construction could begin this summer or fall and the business could open later this year, Bouchard said.

Deputies had been at the crash scene in the town of Oswego since this morning, but only recently confirmed it was fatal.

Oswego, NY -- Oswego County sheriff's deputies are investigating a fatal crash on Engles Road in the town of Oswego.

Multiple news reports say that four people were found dead in the vehicle. Deputies have been at the scene of the crash since this morning.

Very few details have been released so far. A deputy at the sheriff's office confirmed at least one fatality.

CNY Central is reporting that deputies believe the crash happened Monday night, but the bodies were not found until today.

Staff writer Ken Sturtz is on his way to the scene. Check back to Syracuse.com for more information as it becomes available.

Assembly spokesman says Passover, delays in printing budget bills pushed back votes to Thursday.

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The state Senate plans to wait ‘til the midnight hour to take up four budget bills – not to conceal their work from the public, senators say, but to finish the job of passing the budget.

Those four bills were printed on Sunday, so by Senate rules they can’t be voted on until at least 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. The Senate will already be in session – they’ll start about 6 tonight – so why not just continue and get the entire budget passed, asked Sen. John DeFrancisco.

“We are trying to get the budget done in an orderly fashion,” DeFrancisco said. “How could anybody be critical of us working and getting it done rather than waiting another two days?”

DeFrancisco criticized Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who last weekend postponed voting of his chamber until Thursday.

“Maybe the story is, Why isn’t the Assembly in session when the Senate by today will have done 60 percent of the budget?” he said.

Silver’s press secretary, Mike Whyland, said the last batch of bills weren’t printed until Sunday, which means they couldn’t be voted on until Wednesday at the earliest. The midweek Jewish observance of Passover delayed the vote until Thursday morning, he said.

“Passover doesn’t end until Wednesday evening at sundown, so Thursday made the most sense,” Whyland said. “It’s as simple as that.”

The deadline for passing a budget is Monday, when the state’s fiscal year begins.
Ten separate bills that make up the 2013-14 state budget. Both houses last week passed the bill to pay debt. The Assembly will take up the remaining nine beginning Thursday.

It appeared last week after meetings between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and leaders of both houses said that the budget might be adopted a week early. Talks bogged down over a variety of budget and policy issues, such as low-level marijuana arrests in New York City. The Senate passed three bills on Sunday.

Tonight’s after-midnight session leaves some government observers uneasy, recalling all-night legislative sessions with weary lawmakers quickly passing bills they hadn’t had time to read.

“By doing this in the middle of the night when the members will be presumably half asleep, they give up any potential chance of having members debate the bill,” said Bill Mahoney, research coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group.

This session won’t be like that, DeFrancisco said. In the past, sessions sometimes began at 10 a.m. and went well into the next morning. This time, the Senate won’t convene until about 6 p.m.

“If we’re starting this evening rather than in the morning," he said, "I think we can put in our eight-hour day from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m."

The Senate has a rule that forbids holding sessions between midnight and 8 a.m., but that can be overridden by a majority vote.

Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 315-470-3251.

Firefighters were called to the South Side Tuesday afternoon when a fire broke out on Hunt Avenue.

Update 4:45 p.m.: Two parents and their five daughters, ages 4 to 12, were left temporarily homeless after a 1 p.m. fire at their Syracuse home.

The Red Cross provided assistance to the family, including food, clothing, shoes, blankets and other items, as well as three nights at a hotel. The family was referred to local agencies to help with long-term assistance. -- Staff writer Douglass Dowty

Earlier:

Syracuse, NY -- Firefighters are investigating the cause of a house fire that happened at 234 Hunt Ave. Tuesday afternoon.

No one was inside the single family home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries, said Syracuse Deputy Fire Chief Bill Elderbroom.

The fire was called in by Leandre Davis, who was working at a daycare next door. Davis could see smoke coming from the top of the house when he looked out the bathroom window, he said. He immediately called 911, he said.

When he saw flames, he ran outside and around the home to make sure that no one was inside. Davis said a mother and four children live inside the home and sometimes the children come by the daycare to play with the other children.

The whole first floor was on fire, Davis said and he heard and saw glass break as the fire grew.

The house had heavy smoke damage on the first floor and smoke and heat damage on the second floor, Elderbroom said.

Firefighters believe the fire started on the first floor of the home.

Doing away with parking tickets would help businesses and downtown residents and free the city from enforcement costs, one reader suggests.

Syracuse's top parking scofflaw owes the city nearly $8,000. And he has a lot of company on Syracuse's unpaid parking-ticket list.

All 55 people on a list recently obtained from city officials have accumulated fines and penalties that run into four figures, according to an article about the situation. Jeffrey Houston, of Syracuse, topped the list with $7,945 owed.

Collecting unpaid parking ticket money has emerged as an issue as Syracuse officials consider beefing up collections by reinvigorating the city's car-booting program.

The article on the scofflaw list drew a lot of comments. Among them was one that suggested that city officials go in a different direction regarding parking:

From DowntownSyracuseResident: A few thoughts/opinions on parking tickets in the city of Syracuse:

I am a 26-year-old law student and live in downtown Syracuse. I am a lifelong Syracuse resident and love the city but have some issues with how the city chooses to raise revenue via parking enforcement.

First, the city of Syracuse should encourage people to come downtown and spend money by offering free parking in commercial areas. Why go through the hassle of driving into the city to shop and dine (and in turn support the local economy) when it is unquestionably much easier and less of hassle to head to Destiny USA, where parking is free and abundant? Doing away with parking tickets and allowing the public to park for free encourages people to make the effort to come shop and dine at businesses that are truly local. Syracuse is a blue-collar town, residents must wisely choose where and how to spend money, and from my experience it is much easier to head to Destiny than it is to look for paid parking in Armory or Hanover.

One way to offset the cost would be (to) completely eliminate the parking enforcement agency of the city. No more millions of dollars spent on parking meters and no more money spent on the salaries of the parking enforcement officers — could mean huge savings. According to a recent article in The-Post Standard:

"City officials will spend $67,500 to replace the wireless modems in 270 electronic parking meters rather than spend more than $2 million to replace the meters altogether, officials announced today.
"

Replacing the modems, at a cost of $250 each, will allow the parking pay stations to continue accepting credit cards. But it could also leave the pay stations difficult to maintain in the long term because they are an outdated model for which the manufacturer no longer makes parts."

City officials have already proven incompetent in using taxpayers dollars in administering parking enforcement. Thank God they didn’t choose to spend the $2 million they wanted to.

What will we do when parts of the current pay stations break and no parts are available to fix them? Charge more for parking tickets? Hire more parking enforcement officers? Use duct tape to fix the already-outdated models that were bought less than 10 years ago? Makes no sense to me. Furthermore, the city already has issues with collecting from people that owe parking tickets. See the list provided. What is the point?

Second, and separate from my first, more radical thought, with more and more apartments being built in the downtown area. why not allow for residential on-street parking that allows for free parking or minimal charge for residents in the downtown area? I lived in Boston and that was one of the things the city provided for you -- Resident Parking passes for a fee.

It makes it extremely difficult to find parking in downtown where you are paying upwards of $1,200 a month for an apartment. Without people living downtown the city has nothing. There is limited business activity going on downtown and I think we are moving to a more residential setting in the downtown area based on the sheer number of apartments being built in the city. By allowing resident parking you are providing a reason to live in the city, however small it may be.

Eliminate the government's responsibility in enforcing parking and maybe you will see higher sales for the businesses that are downtown, which in turn (will) lead to more sales taxes collected and a more accessible city for all.

Maybe my laissez-faire approach is way out of touch with reality but to me it only makes sense. Instead of bashing the people that owe, why not bash the people that can't or don’t have the ability to even enforce their own laws? And on another note, having the interest alone on a $25 parking ticket accrue to over $50 dollars after only two months is mind-boggling.

Thanks for reading.

What approach do you think Syracuse should take with parking? Leave a comment below.

Just how many jobs will be cut won't be known until April 16.

 

Skaneateles, NY – There will be fewer teachers, assistants and aides in the Skaneateles schools next year as the district cuts staff as student enrollment declines.

Just how many people will lose their jobs is unknown. Administrators plan to reveal those numbers at a school board meeting on April 16, said Interim Superintendent Judith Pastel.

The cuts are needed because enrollment is declining, she said.

Administrators in the Skaneateles Central School District Monday presented a proposed $30 million budget for 2013-14 that increases spending 3.5 percent above the current spending plan.

Skaneateles will need to hike taxes to fund the spending proposal. Just how much higher taxes will go depends on how much state aid the district receives, Pastel said. Those figures won’t be available from the state until later this week, she said.

Skaneateles’ draft budget calls for the district to spend $1 million more next year. Most of the increase, $570,000, comes from higher costs for teacher and employee retirements and health insurance, Pastel said.

The district plans to spend more money on staff development and on equipment, both parts of the budget that have been frozen over the last four to five years, she said.

The school board will discuss the draft budget at its April 9 meeting, and is scheduled to approve a preliminary budget on April 16. A public hearing on the spending plan will be held on May 7. It goes before the voters on May 21.

The board also discussed proposed renovations to its buildings at its Monday meeting, whittling the price tag down to under $23 million. It had been at $23.7 million.

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

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is opposed to legalizing medical marijuana, a stance that could stop the legislation in its tracks.

State Sen. Diane Savino  

Syracuse, N.Y. – Medical marijuana would be legal – and taxed – under a proposal today from state lawmakers who say New York should join with the 18 other states that have approved pot for seriously ill patients.

But, in New York, medical marijuana supporters have a strong litmus test to pass: winning support from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who appears dead set against this expansion of drug use.

“I’m not in favor of it,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo late last year, and his position has not changed, a spokesman said today.

That hasn’t dissuaded Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten Island, and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan, who today introduced their latest version of a medical marijuana bill.

The proposal would allow medical providers to recommend marijuana use by patients suffering from serious conditions, such as cancer, AIDs, glaucoma and epilepsy. Terminally ill patients would also qualify for marijuana use.

Specifically, doctors, physicians’ assistants and nurse practitioners could recommend patients for marijuana use to the state’s Department of Health. The department would create a registry of approved patients, who would have a photo identification card to buy up to 2.5 ounces of pot at a time from certified growers or dispensaries. The card would be valid for a year or less, depending on the recommendation from the healthcare provider.

The department would also be in charge of approving growers and sellers. Growers must cultivate pot at indoor, secure locations; sellers must ensure their distribution allows for no sales to anyone other than approved patients or caregivers.

And, this being New York, entities growing and selling would be taxed up to $250 a pound, according to the proposal.

The bill contains no additional penalties for patients, sellers or growers who take advantage of the legalization of medical marijuana. It also allows for children 17 and younger to apply to be an approved patient.

The Pharmacists Society of the State of New York and the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State support using marijuana for treatment; the Medical Society of the State of New York also supports it, specifically when all other options have failed.

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

Once it reaches $9 an hour, employers would pay 40 cents and taxpayers $1.35 of the extra $1.75 an hour workers are paid.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A hike in New York's minimum wage is a big win for Democrats, but a provision buried inside the tentative state budget shows taxpayers will be paying much of the bill.

The "minimum wage reimbursement credit" is spelled out at the bottom of a revenue bill in the budget separate from the minimum wage measure. The credit would reimburse employers for part of the difference in wages from the current $7.25 minimum wage as it rises to $9 an hour by 2016.

Once it reaches $9 an hour, employers would pay 40 cents and taxpayers $1.35 of the extra $1.75 an hour workers are paid.

Employers including big-box department stores and fast-food chains will get tax credits for seasonal employees, ages 16 to 19, who are still in school, which some advocates for low-income residents say will hurt adult workers.

The cost of the measure approved in closed-door negotiations between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders won't be known publicly until after the budget gets final legislative approval, which is expected by the end of this week. Early estimates are between $20 million and $40 million, with no cap on the total.

"You are kind of flying blind on this," said Frank Mauro of the progressive Fiscal Policy Institute.

Advocates for the working poor fear the credit will prompt employers to replace adults with students. Mauro said Tuesday the credit also would result in the first maximum wage for many employees because employers would lose the credit if they raise wages over the minimum wage.

The credit "flies in the face of sound tax policy, good labor market practice, or common sense," Mauro said.

The think tank said the credit would "dangle $1,560 to $2,808 out in front of employers for every adult worker they manage to substitute with a student."

"It's a big subsidy for the corporate low-wage economy," said Mark Dunlea of the Hunger Action Network advocacy group.

Employers would be compensated at a rate of 75 cents an hour per employee when the minimum wage rises to $8 beginning next year, an election year. Employers would get $1.31 an hour for workers paid minimum wage when it rises to $8.75 in 2015. When the minimum wage rises to $9 in 2016, employers would be subsidized $1.35 an hour for three years.

Mauro calculates the state will pay over $2,800 a year to an employer beginning in 2016 for paying a teenager minimum wage. And although the measure would prohibit firing an adult solely to hire a teenager and collect a credit, Mauro and Dunlea said that would be hard to enforce.

But Cuomo said the credit was a compromise to raise the lowest wages for millions of New Yorkers.

"This budget balances the needs of families and workers who have waited far too long for a minimum wage hike with business owners looking to grow in this still fragile economy," said Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi.

Scott Reif, spokesman for the Senate's Republican conference, which had opposed raising the minimum wage, said the group insisted upon certain provisions to protect the business community.

"If you are going to do a minimum wage, do it phased in over several years without indexing to inflation," Reif said. "This specific refundable tax credit was a compromise. We had suggested a (lower) teenager or youth wage, and this was the compromise."

Sen. Jeff Klein, who leads the Independent Democratic Conference that runs the Senate with Republicans, said the tax credit would be effective in helping small businesses hire at the minimum wage. He said a smaller program directed at inner cities has worked well.