The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the fall that killed construction worker Kyle Brown could have been prevented if MTL Design followed safety rules.

Syracuse, N.Y. — A Watertown company is facing almost $90,000 in fines in connection with the death of a worker who was blown off the roof of a car dealership under construction in Pulaski in November.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the death of Kyle Brown, 23, of Pulaski, could have been prevented if safety rules were followed by his employer, MTL Design Inc., a construction company based in Watertown.

"This needless fall and resulting death were entirely preventable," Christopher Adams, OSHA's area director in Syracuse, said in a statement Wednesday. "Had this company provided its employees with required fall protection equipment, anchorage and training, this young man would be alive today."

OSHA said MTL Design failed to provide and ensure the use of fall protection safeguards and called the violation "willful and serious." It proposed fining MTL $88,900.

"Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, yet they are also among the clearest hazards to identify and eliminate, Adams said. "Fall protection safeguards save lives, but only if they're properly and effectively implemented."

Brown was part of a crew installing metal decking on the roof of an F.X. Caprara Ford dealership in Pulaski on Nov. 18. As he attempted to secure sheets of decking, a gust of wind blew him off the roof. He fell 24 feet to the ground.

Brown was taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse but died from his injuries three hours after the accident.

OSHA said Brown was wearing a safety harness but was not provided with a means to connect it to an independent anchorage point to stop a fall. The company failed to train employees to recognize fall hazards, ensure adequate anchorage for lifelines and secure the decking to prevent it from being moved by the wind, the agency said.

Brown's death was one of 22 fatal falls in New York's construction industry in 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Failing to provide fall protection for workers is one of the 10 most frequently cited OSHA violations.

OSHA issued MTL Design one "willful citation" for the lack of fall protection. A willful violation is committed with "intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard" for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health, it said.

Three serious citations were issued for other hazards at the job site, OSHA said.

MTL Design is a general contractor that specializes in site work, concrete work and steel building construction. It has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed fines to comply, meet informally with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Calls to the company for comment late Wednesday afternoon were not immediately returned.

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

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls in Nigeria by an Islamic extremist group an "act of terrorism" and accused the Nigerian government on Wednesday of being "somewhat derelict" in protecting its people.

WASHINGTON -- Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls in Nigeria by an Islamic extremist group an "act of terrorism" and accused the Nigerian government on Wednesday of being "somewhat derelict" in protecting its people.

Clinton, speaking at a philanthropy conference in New York, forcefully urged the Nigerian government to do everything it can to bring the captive girls home safely and accept help from the United States and other nations.

"The seizure of these young women by this radical extremist group, Boko Haram, is abominable, it's criminal, it's an act of terrorism and it really merits the fullest response possible, first and foremost by the government of Nigeria," Clinton said in an interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts at Philanthropy New York.

The April 15 abduction has generated outrage around the globe and calls for Nigeria to liberate the girls before they can be sold into slavery or harmed. Nigeria's police have said more than 300 girls were abducted from their secondary school in the country's remote northeast. Of that number, 276 remained in captivity and 53 managed to escape.

The terrorist group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, threatened to sell the girls during a grainy video released this week.

The Pentagon said it was sending fewer than 10 troops to Nigeria as part of the U.S. effort to help find the girls but had no plans to launch a military operation. The troops, part of a larger U.S. assistance team that will include State Department and Justice Department personnel, will help with communications, logistics and intelligence planning.

Clinton, a potential 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, said the Nigerian government "has been, in my view, somewhat derelict in its responsibility toward protecting boys and girls, men and women, in northern Nigeria in the last years. They need to make it a priority to do everything they can to try to bring these girls home safety."

Clinton took to Twitter on Sunday to urge their release, ending her message with the popular hashtag, "(hashtag) Bring Back Our Girls."

At the conference, Clinton also questioned the need for more congressional oversight into the deadly attack on the diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya. The Republican-led House is expected to establish a select committee to investigate the Obama administration's response to the attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans on Sept. 11, 2012.

Clinton said there were "a lot of reasons" why some people involved in the investigations "choose not to be satisfied."

"I do not believe there is any reason for it to continue in this way, but they get to call the shots in the Congress," she said.

Republicans have accused the White House of misleading the nation in the heart of President Barack Obama's re-election campaign by playing down intelligence suggesting Benghazi was a major, al-Qaida-linked terrorist attack. Democrats have said the investigations are politically motivated and aimed at hurting congressional Democrats in the fall mid-term elections and damaging a Clinton presidential campaign if she decides to seek the White House again.

Roberts relayed a question from an audience member on whether Clinton -- if she runs for president -- would consider Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a favorite of liberals, or San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, the keynote speaker at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, as potential running mates.

Clinton called both "extraordinary leaders and great political advocates ... I admire both of them greatly." Asked if she might be the first woman to crack the glass ceiling of the presidency, the former first lady demurred.

"Well, I think we should crack it also. I am 100 percent in favor of that," Clinton said. "But I have nothing further to say about my path right now."

Lockheed Martin's plant in Owego, N.Y., will install the communications and mission systems.

STRATFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has won a $1.24 billion contract to build the next fleet of "Marine One" presidential helicopters.

Sikorsky, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., said Wednesday the contract is to modify, test and deliver six S-92 helicopters and two trainer simulators to the U.S. Marine Corps. It says it will eventually supply 21 aircraft by 2023.

It will perform aircraft modifications at its Stratford headquarters and subcontractor Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training will install the communications and mission systems in Owego, New York.

The contract is expected to create or sustain about 200 jobs in Owego, according to U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.

The announcement is a big deal for Sikorsky, which has faced declining revenue and has recently laid off workers after the U.S. military exited Iraq and has begun to wind down operations in Afghanistan.

The Westcott Neighborhood Bulb Project has planted 127,000 daffodils around Syracuse since 2003.

Syracuse, NY - A spring hike sparked a beautification project that has has planted 127,000 daffodil bulbs around Syracuse over more than a decade.

The Westcott Neighborhood Bulb Project is the effort of two families who order, buy, package and distribute thousands of bulbs every year. What started out in Westcott, later became a Syracuse-wide project that dresses the city in its brightest yellow to welcome spring.

Peter Wirth saw a flowering shrub in the distance on a spring hike in an Ohio park prompting the idea to enlist residents of his Westcott neighborhood to beautify the area with bulbs. That first year, organizers raised enough money to buy 2,300 bulbs that were distributed at the Westcott Community Center.

The only requirement was that people taking the bulbs plant them in public view. That means in front yards, medians, near businesses and public spaces like libraries or schools.

The organizers include Wirth, his wife, Jane Tretler and their daughter, Reena, and Margaret Clark, her husband, Mark Rupert, and daughter, Anna. They're always looking for volunteers to help with the project.

In 2010, they took the project citywide. The group sells bulbs for cost to city residents and organizations willing to plant 100 at a time. The group continues to distribute bulbs for free to Westcott residents.

What they learned
Tips from the organizers for starting a grassroots effort and keeping it going:

1. Test your idea. The bulb project started small and gained momentum
2. Spread the work around. Don't let too much of it fall on one leader's shoulders.
3. Don't be shy about asking for money to start your project. Sell raffle tickets. Apply for grants.
4. Recruit your friends to the cause.
5. Have fun working on your project!
6. Plan for how your project will move forward. Will you call it quits or expand by training a successor to take over.
7. And Wirth's biggest tip: Don't hide project's light under a bushel. Get the message out to the community.

"It's not about us; it's about the idea and the work and the mission," he said.

Send press releases to every website, newspaper, television and radio station in the area. Create a website and a Facebook page, Tweet it to the world

All that publicity paid off when a regional manager for a supply company read a story about the bulb project and called offering to sell them bulbs at wholesale, saving the group money, Wirth said.

What Works is a yearlong campaign to partner with the community to identify those efforts solving our toughest problems. Who's making a difference? Let us know at whatworks@syracuse.com, Facebook and Twitter.

Follow the effort all year and see our mission statement at www.syracuse.com/what-works

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

Rumors have circulated throughout the state for months that Bob Duffy, a former police chief and mayor of Rochester, would not seek a second term as Cuomo's No. 2.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo's running mate, Robert Duffy, will not seek re-election, according to a report from Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle.

Brian Sharp writes: "Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy will not seek re-election, formally announcing his decision Wednesday in a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to sources. The city's former mayor hinted as much this week, saying he was not being forced out and would serve out his term which runs through year's end."

Cuomo's office had no immediate comment tonight.

Rumors have circulated throughout the state for months that Duffy, a former police chief and mayor of Rochester, would not seek a second term as Cuomo's No. 2, and there's been speculation that Cuomo would pick Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney, a Republican, to be his running mate.

Cuomo, a Democrat expected to seek a second term this year, has been reticent to talk about the rumored change. In March, Cuomo deflected questions about the possibility of asking Mahoney to join the ticket.

"We have not had that conversation," Cuomo said.

Mahoney, who endorsed Cuomo four years ago when he ran for governor and she has joined Cuomo at many news conferences, could not be reached tonight for comment.

If Mahoney were elected lieutenant governor before her term expires, the Onondaga County Charter says she would be replaced by her appointed deputy county executive. The lead deputy county executive is Bill Fisher.

Cuomo put Duffy in charge of his Regional Economic Development Councils, 10 panels that recommended millions of dollars worth of publicly-financed projects throughout the state. Duffy often stumped for the governor on specific issues around the state, from the fiscal crisis of cities to last year's proposal to expanding gambling in Upstate areas.

He came to Syracuse a year ago to address criticism from Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner directed at Cuomo's plans to help Upstate cities. Duffy suggested that Miner could request the governor appoint a financial control board to take over the city's finances if she couldn't meet the city's financial obligations.

Duffy recently told the Rochester paper there was no conflict between him and Cuomo.

Duffy was recently ranked No. 100 in City & State's top 100 Albany power rankings.

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

Pauline Bulinski-Munion faces drug and child endangerment charges in Chester County, Pennsylvania, after a teacher finds heroin in the boy's pocket.

A 56-year-old Pennsylvania woman faces child endangerment and drug charges after her 7-year-old grandson brought her heroin to school, officials say.

A 7-year-old brought bags of heroin marked "Victoria Secret" from his grandmother's house to his school outside Philadelphia, officials say.CBS Philly screen capture 

Bilinski-Munion, described by the Chester County district attorney's office as a heroin user, left her heroin out while she was watching her grandchildren, the DA's office told WPVI.

The boy allegedly found the drug and brought some Friday to his first-grade classroom at Caln Elementary School. When a teacher found nine bags of heroin marked "Victoria Secret" in his pants pocket, the youngster eventually admitted that he'd found them next to his grandmother's washing machine, UPI reported.

There was at least one more bag of the drug -- a mother told police she found it on her child Friday as they walked in a mall after school.

Pauline Bulinski-MunionCBS Philly screen capture 

Parents found out about the episode Friday night through reverse 911. Hogan said he found out about it Satuday from media reports.

In a statement, school district officials said Caln Elementary administrators contacted the Coatesville Area School District Police Department within minutes of the drugs being found, and that the Coatesville police notified neighboring police departments.

Here's CBS Philly's complete report:

Banks routinely reject pot businesses for even basic services such as checking accounts because they fear running afoul of federal law, which considers marijuana and its proceeds illegal.

Colorado lawmakers approved the world's first financial system for the marijuana industry Wednesday, a network of uninsured cooperatives designed to give pot businesses a way to access basic banking services.

The plan seeks to move the marijuana industry away from its cash-only roots. Banks routinely reject pot businesses for even basic services such as checking accounts because they fear running afoul of federal law, which considers marijuana and its proceeds illegal.

The result: Pot shop owners deal in large amounts of cash, which makes them targets for criminals. Or they try to find ways around the problem, like drenching their proceeds in air freshener to remove the stink of marijuana and try to fool traditional banks into accepting their money.

"This is our main problem: Financial services for marijuana businesses," said Sen. David Balmer, R-Centennial. "We are trying to improvise and come up with something in Colorado to give marijuana business some opportunity, so they do not have to store large amounts of cash."

Colorado became the first state to allow recreational pot sales, which started Jan. 1. Washington state will follow suit, with retail sales expect to start in July.

The U.S. Treasury Department said in February that banks could serve the marijuana industry under certain conditions. With the industry emerging from the underground, states want to track marijuana sales and collect taxes. It's a lot easier to do that when the businesses have bank accounts.

But most banks have shrugged at the Treasury guidelines, calling them too onerous to accept marijuana-related clients. The result is a marijuana industry that still relies largely on cash, a safety risk for operators and a concern for Colorado's pot regulators.

"This is not something that we can wait for any further," said another banking sponsor, Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont.

The bill approved Wednesday would allow marijuana businesses to pool money in cooperative s, but the co-ops would on take effect if the U.S. Federal Reserve agrees to allow them to do things like accept credit cards or checks.

Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper supports the pot bank plan and is expected to sign it into law, though a spokesman said Wednesday the governor had yet to review the final language.

Lawmakers from both parties supported the banking co-ops as a way to properly audit marijuana shops and to make sure they're paying all their taxes. Dispensary owners came to the Capitol this session to tell of their difficulties paying taxes and utilities in cash and the dangers of dealing in cash.

"It is very easy to see somebody get killed over this issue," Marijuana Industry Group Director Michael Elliott testified last month.

The plan had bipartisan support, though some Republicans said that the effort won't pass federal muster.

A few banks are accepting marijuana clients in light of the federal regulations.

Numerica Credit Union in eastern Washington state is accepting limited business from marijuana growers and processors, The Spokesman-Review reported Wednesday.

Colorado pot shop owners say a small number of credit unions will do business with them, too, though no banks or credit unions have said so publicly.

Countries that don't ban marijuana don't have banking systems unique to the drug.

Wednesday's community discussion, which was held in Fayetteville and organized by the YMCA, was in reaction to the resurgence of heroin use, both nationally and in Central New York.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. -- Well over a hundred people filled a YMCA classroom Wednesday night, listened to experts and asked questions at a community discussion on heroin abuse.

"As you'll learn tonight, it is an epidemic," Manlius Police Investigator Angela Palmer told the standing-room only crowd. "It's about a community doing something together to prevent it."

In the town of Manlius alone, three drug-related deaths and eight overdoses have been reported this year.

Wednesday's community discussion, which was held in Fayetteville and organized by the YMCA, was in reaction to the resurgence of heroin use, both nationally and in Central New York.

In 2013, 27 drug overdose deaths were reported in Onondaga County, said Erin Bortel of ACR Health. Just two overdose deaths were reported in the county in 2010.

Experts at the discussion talked about programs available for heroin users and how the drug has become more common. Several experts said the fact that heroin doesn't have to be injected -- it can be smoked or snorted -- has diminished the drug's stigma and fueled its rise in suburban communities. Heroin has also become cheaper in recent years experts said.

Manlius Police Investigator Angela Palmer brought several pieces of evidence to a community discussion about heroin Wednesday. Above, empty packets of heroin. Ken Sturtz | ksturtz@syracuse.com 

Some experts encouraged those at the meeting to take steps to recognize the signs that a person may be using heroin and to get them help.

Palmer passed several evidence bags containing heroin baggies and other paraphernalia. It is important, she said, to be aware of the problem facing the community.

"There is help for people who want help," said Connie Donaldson, of Confer Park.

Maffei declines invitation to appear on public radio show with Katko.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In one of their first skirmishes, Republican John Katko today accused Rep. Dan Maffei of avoiding a public discussion of the issues that divide their campaigns.

Katko, a former federal prosecutor from Camillus, said Maffei declined to appear with him in early June on a radio program on public broadcasting station WRVO-FM.

Katko said he accepted the invitation from the moderator, Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University.

Maffei's campaign last month accepted a debate challenge from Katko, agreeing to participate in a series of moderated, televised debates. The specific details still must be negotiated.

When asked about the WRVO invitation, Maffei's campaign declined to say why he did not accept. Maffei is not due in Washington for congressional business on the week of the proposed radio discussion. Maffei was most recently a guest on the show with Reeher in January, before Katko won the GOP congressional designation.

Campaign manager Kane Miller said the congressman is still committed to participating in public debates with Katko on Syracuse broadcast TV stations. Miller offered no timeline for when that might happen.

Contact Mark Weiner at mweiner@syracuse.com or 571-970-3751. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWeinerDC

Former Jordan-Elbridge Athletic Director Eric Varney resigned and paid back money missing from athletic ticket sales, the school board president said.

Jordan, NY -- Former Jordan-Elbridge School District Athletic Director Eric Varney resigned April 25, a day after the district began an investigation into money missing from tickets sold for athletic events, the school board president said Wednesday night.

Varney, 44, of Clay, who was also an assistant principal, paid back the missing money, Board President David Gallaro said. The president did not say how much money was missing.

"The state police have advised the district that they consider the matter closed because the restitution was made," the president said in a statement he read after the board formally voted accept Varney's resignation.

Syracuse.com has been unable to reach Varney.

The district became aware on April 24 that ticket gate proceeds for athletic events were unaccounted for. It began an immediate investigation, interviewed employees with access to the missing funds and filed a report with the state police.

The next day Varney submitted his resignation. Varney was inducted into the Liverpool High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. He is a 1987 graduate of Liverpool High School and was on the Warriors football team.

Jordan-Elbridge has notified the state Department of Education about the investigation and its conclusion.

Gallaro's statement offered no details about who alerted the district to the missing money or how long the theft had gone on. He declined elaborate on the matter after the board meeting.

Varney had served as an elementary school principal and was named assistant principal and athletic director in 2011.

Wednesday the board appointed Mark Schermerhorn as interim athletic director/assistant principal from April 28 through June 30 for a stipend of $2,500.

The board also authorized Gallaro and Superintendent James Froio to contact the state Comptroller's Office about the theft. It also discussed taking a look at money-handling policy and procedures to prevent such thefts.

Here's the statement Gallaro read at Wednesday's school board meeting.

"On Thursday, April 24, the district became aware that ticket gate proceeds for athletic events were unaccounted for pertaining to events where admission is charged.

The district administration began an immediate investigation. The investigation included interviewing employees with access to the missing funds and filing a report with the New York State Police.

On Friday, April 25, Athletic Director Eric Varney submitted his resignation effective that day. Mr. Varney made restitution in full for the missing gate proceeds. The State Police have advised the district that they consider this matter closed because restitution was made. As required, the district has notified the State Education Department of the investigation and its conclusion.

The Board of Education and administration remain steadfast in our commitment to open communication and transparency and I am sharing this statement with the community in that spirit. As a district, we have taken every action that is within our control in this matter.

We are moving forward from here and will begin a search for a new athletic director/assistant principal very shortly."

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

Nelson Bauersfeld followed a calling to provide free legal help to poor people Watch video

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Digger Phelps inspired basketball players when he coached at Notre Dame.

Unintentionally, he also inspired a Central New York school superintendent to do something crazy.

Phelps gave a speech to Notre Dame students during a parents' weekend in 1999. He ended with this advice: Find a way to give back.

The words stuck with Nelson Bauersfeld, then superintendent at Morrisville-Eaton schools and a parent of one of the Notre Dame students.

Five years later, at the age of 55, Bauersfeld told his wife he had a plan for his upcoming retirement. He would go to law school, get his degree and do free legal work for poor people.

"Where's that coming from?" a stunned Barb Bauersfeld asked.

"Well, it came from Digger Phelps," he said. She didn't say another word, simply went to bed. The next morning, she tried to straighten him out.

"You know he was talking to our son, not you," she said.

Their son Brian had just graduated from Syracuse University's law school. Bauersfeld vowed to have his own law degree within 10 years. He became superintendent of the Mexico school district for five years. Then at age 63, when most people settle into retirement, he went to law school at SU.

Nelson Bauersfeld, left, with his son Brian and wife Barbara at Brian's graduation from Syracuse University law school in 2004.Submitted photo 

"I wanted to do something totally different, something else I could do that would be helpful," Nelson Bauersfeld said.

His degree didn't come without a lot of hard work and ribbing.

Soon after he started at SU, Bauersfeld got an email from a friend: "How are you doing with all those young whippersnappers?"

"You mean the professors?" Bauersfeld responded. All but a few were younger than he was.

He wore a suit and tie to class every day. The other students dressed in what he called the law school uniform: T-shirts and jeans. But on Halloween in his first year, Bauersfeld went to class in jeans, T-shirt, backward baseball cap and ear buds.

"What's this?" his professor asked.

"This is my Halloween costume," Bauersfeld said. "I'm dressing like a law student."
 
Whenever SU law students interned at the Cayuga County DA's office, Brian Bauersfeld asked them if they'd run into an old guy in their classes who probably asked a lot of annoying questions.

"Then I let them know he's my father and they go, 'We love your dad. He's great!'" Brian Bauersfeld said.

Nelson's degree put him $150,000 in debt. He didn't get any financial aid, so he had to pay for school through loans.

He was making $140,000 a year in his first four years as Mexico's superintendent. Then he retired and started drawing his pension, but stayed on as superintendent for one more year at just $60,000 a year.

Nelson Bauersfeld has spent his life taking on daunting challenges. When he was 3, his father died and his mother had a nervous breakdown. He and his older sister were placed in foster care. They bounced around until he was 6, when the two of them landed with a family at a farm in Jefferson Valley, Westchester County, where he stayed until he graduated from high school.

His foster parents told him he wouldn't be able to go to college because it was too expensive.

"I guess I've always been one of those people who, if you tell me I can't do something, that's the way to get me to do it," he said.

Bauersfeld found a way. He got a bachelor's then a master's degree at the State University of Oswego. From there he went into teaching and school administration.

He saw problems that poorer families faced with custody disputes and other legal problems. And as an Army veteran, he was aware of the issues that other vets faced when they returned to civilian life. And both groups often were unable to afford a lawyer, he said.

He became interested in the law when he was a social studies teacher at West Genesee High School. His interest grew stronger when he was a principal at Weedsport High School and the superintendent in two school districts, he said.

"I saw a lot of people who just don't know which way to turn sometimes," Bauersfeld said.

At SU, he and three other law students started VISION, the Veterans Initiative and Outreach Network, to provide free legal help for veterans. In two years, SU will use a $250,000 state grant to start a full-time free legal clinic for vets - the first in New York state, Bauersfeld said.

One of his law professors, Robert Nassau, said Bauersfeld was "amazingly conscientious and diligent" in class and at a free tax clinic for low-income people.

"Older students are often among the best because they're sort of sacrificing something to go back to school and they take it very seriously," Nassau said.

Bauersfeld still plans to work for free for poor people, but realizes he needs to have some paying clients to help defray all that debt.

He had two worries going into law school: At age 65, did he have the stamina to work the 60 to 65 hours a week? And could he handle all the computer technology that was so foreign to him?

"When I went to college, I had a manual typewriter and a wind-up alarm clock," he said. "That was technology back then." He got by with lots of help from SU's technical support people, his wife said.

And the stamina was there, Bauersfeld said. But there were times when he would forget some key facts in a court case or something else - the same as any other law student would.

""You can't remember everything," Bauersfeld said. "But when you forget something when you're 25, you just say, 'Oh, I forgot.' When you're 65, you say, 'Am I losing it?'"

Bauersfeld apparently wasn't. He expects to be ranked somewhere in the middle of his graduating class, maybe a little lower. His grade-point average will be about 3.0, he said.

On his first day of law school, Bauersfeld kiddingly revealed another motive. An assistant dean told the new students they were going to learn how to argue. Bauersfeld leaned over to the student next to him.

"I've been married 37 years," he said. "I know how to argue. I want to learn how to win."

Contact John O'Brien at jobrien@syracuse.com or 315-470-2187.

Temperatures are expected to hit or climb past 70 degrees every day until the beginning of next week.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- After one of the most brutal winters in recent memory and a deceptive start to spring, it appears that nice weather is here to stay for a while.

Temperatures are expected to hit or climb past 70 degrees every day until the beginning of next week.

A warm front moving slowly across Central New York over the next few days will bring clouds and some scattered rain, but also warmer weather, the National Weather Service said. Temperatures will reach 70 degrees across Central New York Thursday, though some rain is expected and a thunderstorm or two isn't impossible.

(View live radar map of New York state here.)

A cold front will pass through Central New York this weekend, Time Warner Cable News said. But despite the cold front moving into the region, temperatures aren't expected to drop very much.

That means the warmer weather will continue well into next week.

Your forecast

• Thursday: Cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Rain more likely in the evening. Southwest winds up to 10 mph. Highs near 70. Lows in the high 50s.
  
• Friday: Cloudy with a 50/50 chance of rain. South winds up to 15 mph. Rain, clouds and wind likely in evening. Highs near 80. Lows in the low 60s.
  
• Saturday: Rain very likely with a chance for thunderstorms. Highs near 70. Lows near 50.
  
• Sunday: Partly sunny during the day. Cloudy in the evening. Highs in the low 70s. Lows in the mid 50s.
  
• Monday: Partly sunny. Cloud later in the day with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the mid 70s. Lows in the mid 50s.

You can also follow us on Facebook or visit http://www.syracuse.com/weather/ for more on the weather.

To send in weather info, or especially photos: Use the Twitter or Instagram hashtag: #cnyweather Also, please let us know where the images are located.

NFL commissioner says new stadium a must for keeping Bills in Buffalo, the Oneidas send their first check to New York state, and both Cuomo and Astorino are looking for running mates.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Rain and warmth, and maybe even a little sun, are headed our way. Happy mowing, all.

Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy confirmed Wednesday night that he won't run with Gov. Andrew Cuomo this fall. Duffy, a former police chief and mayor of Rochester, told his hometown newspaper he was not forced out, but wants to stay closer to home.

Onondaga County Comptroller Bob Antonacci will challenge Democrat Tom DiNapoli this fall for the state comptroller post. Antonacci, a Republican, will be the state's first politician to opt into a pilot program allowing candidates to use taxpayer money to augment campaign donations.

Who wants to run with Republican gubernatorial challenger Rob Astorino?

A new stadium is vital in keeping the Buffalo Bills in Western New York, the NFL's commissioner said Wednesday.

Under a new order from the nation's top transportation official, rail companies carting crude oil must inform state officials of the journey; in turn, the state officials must notify local responders.

A New York City councilman faces an indictment from Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that he stole $33,000 in member item money through Sen. Shirley Huntley's office.

A former state assemblyman -- who stole from his campaign and even a little league -- gets a shorter prison sentence for cooperating with prosecutors.

Cuomo has New York City-area transportation on his mind.

A new batch of Cuomo's schedules became public on Wednesday, showing he met with Jonathan Soros (son of George) just a day before finalizing the state budget with legislative leaders.

Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney also met with Cuomo in Albany on March 10, barely a week after he made a last-minute trip to her State of the County speech to announce a new nanotechnology and film hub in DeWitt.

I believe you have my stapler: Office Depot must pay $475,000 to 504 local governments for overcharging for office supplies.

The Oneida Indian Nation's slot machines at Turning Stone take in about $207 million a year, based on the Oneidas first revenue-sharing check to the state.

Twenty-two states have signed onto a brief in a lawsuit before New York's appellate court arguing against the constitutionality of the NY Safe Act.

ICYMI See which took longer -- the Senate floor vote on the Safe Act or making yogurt the official state snack.

Erie County's Republican Party chairman says a decision from the Senate to allow a vote on medical marijuana would help refute an image that the GOP is the "party of no."

Reverse migration: The Enquirer is moving from Florida back to New York City.

Tweet of the Day

My guess is that Andrew Cuomo finds a runningmate quicker than Rob Astorino does. http://t.co/Nfy6WSE8E5 #NYgov

— Russell Schaffer (@RussOnPolitics) May 8, 2014

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

Water leaking from the roof is rapidly destroying the historic Hotel Syracuse. Watch video

Syracuse, N.Y. — The man who has proposed a nearly $60 million rescue of the historic Hotel Syracuse says time is running out on the former grand lady of Central New York hotels.

"If it doesn't get done very, very soon, it's going to become economically unfeasible," said Ed Riley, a hotel industry executive whose Syracuse Community Hotel Restoration Co. 1 has proposed a $57 million renovation and reopening of the 90-year-old Hotel Syracuse.

Leaks from the hotel's roof are causing water damage throughout the historic structure. This winter, water pipes burst in the hotel because heat to the building was turned off, causing even more water damage. Paint and plaster are falling off the walls and ceilings of many of the hotel's more than 500 guest rooms and function rooms.

Even the hotel's Grand Ballroom, which until recently had been spared the decay creeping through much of the hotel, is starting to show signs of years of neglect. A leak in a roof cornice has damaged the ballroom's ceiling.

Dentil molding near the building's roofline fell onto the sidewalk along Harrison Street last month, causing the city to close off the sidewalk with barricades.

It wasn't always this way. Opened in 1924 at South Warren and East Onondaga streets, the Hotel Syracuse was the city's premier hotel for conventions, conferences, business meetings, weddings and all sorts of other large gatherings for most of the 20th century.

Hotel Syracuse in its glory days (photos)

The story behind the coffin doors of the Hotel Syracuse (video)

But starting in the mid-1980s, its fortunes declined as businesses moved out of the city and large clusters of hotels popped up in the suburbs. After two stints in bankruptcy court, the hotel closed its rooms in 2004. Its function rooms continued to be used for weddings and other events for a few more years before the building was completely shut down.

The hotel's current owner, an Israeli-controlled company named GML Syracuse, turned off the heat in December. Soon afterward, pipes in the building's fire-suppression system burst, causing water damage in multiple locations.

Riley, a former senior vice president of Boston-based Pyramid Hotel Group, has a deal with the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency to reopen the hotel as a 261-room Hyatt Hotel. Riley said he would enlarge and modernize all of the hotel's guest rooms and restore its function rooms and lobby to their original appearances.

The development agency has agreed to use its eminent domain powers, if necessary, to acquire the hotel for the project. Riley is lining up his financing for the redevelopment.

Riley said he's hoping the acquisition can take place this summer so he can perform immediate repairs to the building's roof.

"It would be a crime for the city to lose the hotel," he said. "This is the last grand dame that's left."

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

Join the Onondaga County District Attorney for a live reader chat at noon today.

Syracuse, NY -- Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick will return to the Syracuse.com offices at noon today for a live reader Q&A.

The last time the DA chatted with readers, he updated the case into a butt-slapping doctor at St. Joe's, decried the defunding of the state's anti-corruption commission and (correctly) predicted that SU basketball players Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant would head for the NBA.

Don't be shy: Fitzpatrick answered 76 questions in an hour during the March 24 session.

Feel free to ask about the doc, Michael T. Clarke, the recent spate of fatal hit-and-run crashes or the impact of the Moreland Commission.

The only caveat: the DA will not answer questions that he feels could jeopardize a prosecution.

View live updates on mobile app or RSS reader »

Readers react to a new property tax hike in Syracuse.

The Syracuse City Council voted Wednesday to raise property taxes and parking fines in order to raise $1.2 million to spend on a number of items including $500,000 more for Say Yes to Education.

Say Yes to Education is a nonprofit organization that helps provide services and scholarships in city schools. With this additional funding, the city will have contributed $1.5 million to Say Yes.

Councilors said the 1.5 percent tax increase will cost about $12 a year for a homeowner with a property assessment of $90,000. Homeowners can also expect a $30 rebate from the state which is given to taxpayers in municipalities that stay under the two percent tax cap.

Some syracuse.com readers were unhappy with the tax increase, particularly because such a large portion will go to Say Yes to Education:

From JudgeJudyRules: "Giving more money to Say Yes needs to be re-examined since, to date, they have not delivered on what was promised. The schools need the money to hire back the TAs and hall monitors that were laid off over the past several years. Those staff members were essential to intervening in behavior issues before they became out of control and their absence is one contributing factor to the increase in disruptions, violence and vandalism in the schools."

From My Syr Opinion: "...The tax hike proposed by the Syracuse Common Council is outrageous. When will city leaders realize 50 percent of the tax payers cannot carry the load of 100 percent of the city?

"If City Councilors are looking for additional funding they should look at services where 100 percent of city pays equal amounts, even not for profits

"Why did the Common Council decide to exempt not for profits when they were researching proposed fees for alarms systems.

"If we have no money, why are we thinking about giving Say Yes To Education an additional half million dollars. Tax payers were told this would not be a burden to them.

"The only thing this tax hike will accomplish will be to encourage more residents to leave."

3rd District Councilor Bob Dougherty said, "Nobody leaves the city of Syracuse because taxes are too high. We need the increase."

Reader tipphill2011 agrees that "we need the increase," but not for Say Yes:

"I don't mind an increase but it should be for roads, water pipes, sewers, cleaning up and maintaining the public spaces. Not for more Say Yes. Say Yes will not make educated well-employed people with children move to the city. Their kids would still have to make it through years in the city schools to succeed in the first place. That's like expecting a baseball player to bat .350 with 2 strikes against them to start every at bat with.

"I enjoy living in the city now but when my wife and I have children we will be leaving before they reach school age.

"Cleaning up the city and maintaining the infrastructure will drive up the number of employers in the city further increasing revenue through higher commercial property values. That's where the investment is needed. Face it, in order for the SCSD to be on par with the burbs, good parents would need to move to the city in mass to effectively tip the achievement scales. That's not going to happen without other external factors outside of the city's control like $10 a gallon gas."

But some city taxpayers aren't concerned about this tax hike, and are ready to pay their share. Reader cusenewz thinks it's still a better deal than taxpayers get in the suburbs:

"No complaints from this city tax payer. I pay ridiculously low taxes compared to suburbanites. I don't pay extra for trash pick up. Never gotten a parking ticket, never will. Never had problems in my neighborhood that have made me want to chuck it all and move. I'm willing to pay my share, even though there will always be those that do not. Hating them does not add to my quality of life, so why bother?"

How do you think the funds raised from the tax hike should be spent? Leave a comment below.

The deadline is Saturday.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - If you want a chance to win two round-trip tickets to Myrtle Beach, S.C., enter the Syracuse airport's contest by posting a picture on Twitter or Instagram describing why you deserve to win. Be sure to include the hashtag #winsyr2myr . The deadline is 5 p.m. Saturday.

The new Syracuse Regional Airport Authority is running the contest -- a first for the airport -- to publicize the launch of Allegiant Air's nonstop jet service between Syracuse and Myrtle Beach, which begins May 29. Allegiant donated two tickets for the contest.

The contest winner will fly out on the inaugural flight at 6:41 p.m. May 29 and return three days later, on June 1.

After the grueling winter endured by Central New Yorkers, the staff at the airport authority conceived the ticket giveaway as a good way to publicize the new air service, said Christina Callahan, airport director. The authority took over running the airport from the city of Syracuse in March.

Anyone age 21 or older can enter the contest. The winner, to be selected by the airport authority, will be announced by 5 p.m. Monday. For complete rules, go to the airport website.

Contact Tim Knauss at tknauss@syracuse.com or 315-470-3023 or follow on Twitter @TimKnauss.

Joseph Cassidy, of Baldwinsville, works for the U.S. Postal Service in Syracuse.

A cat video by a Baldwinsville postal worker won $10,000 on "America's Funniest Home Videos."YouTube video still 

Syracuse, NY - A Central New York postal worker, who captured his battle with a cat on video, will compete for $100,000 on "America's Funniest Home Videos."

The $100,000 show will air at 7 p.m. Sunday on ABC.

Joseph Cassidy, of Baldwinsville, works for the U.S. Postal Service in Syracuse. His showdown with the cat appeared on the show in January. The video, dubbed "Mail Slot Menace," won the first place prize and Cassidy took home $10,000.

The video will compete against nine other winning clips for a chance to win $100,000. Visit the show's YouTube channel to view the other videos.

The show posted the clips for the first time on Wednesday, but Cassidy's cat video has already been viewed more than one million times on YouTube.

Several YouTube videos were posted after the show aired on Jan. 26 and one of the videos drew one million views in less than 24 hours. The video was removed from YouTube a few days later. A comment on the video said it was removed due to a "copyright claim by AFHV."

Dozens of other YouTube videos of the clip remain on YouTube.

Here's a clip of the full video:

Cassidy said he is not able to talk about the show until after the $100,000 show airs on Sunday.

Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298. Follow @SarahMoses315

Tour the Hotel Syracuse through the years (photo gallery).

Syracuse, N.Y. — Countless Central New York residents can recall attending events at the Hotel Syracuse, the region's grand dame of hotels for most of the 20th century.

Opened in 1924, the hotel was the place to hold weddings, conventions, business meetings and big parties of all sorts for decades. As you can see from our earlier photo gallery, the building has fallen onto hard times more recently.

The hotel closed in 2004 following two trips to bankruptcy court. Water damage caused by roof leaks and burst pipes is rapidly destroying the grand old building at South Warren and East Onondaga streets in downtown Syracuse.

Decay overtaking the former grand lady of Syracuse hotels (photos)

Developer Ed Riley has proposed a $57 million renovation that would result in the reopening of the building as a 261-room Hyatt Hotel. Riley said the renovation would completely rebuild and enlarge the hotel's rooms but restore much of the rest of the hotel to its original appearance.

To remind readers of just what the hotel looked like in its glory days, syracuse.com asked the Onondaga Historical Association to dig through its substantial archives. Above is a gallery of historical photos provided by the association and a few pictures syracuse.com pulled from its own archives.

The gallery includes shots of the hotel's famed Grand Ballroom, its Persian Terrace room and its lobby, all of which look surprisingly similar to the way they appeared when the hotel opened 90 years ago.

If you have memories of the Hotel Syracuse during its glory days, feel free to share them in the comments section below.

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

DeWitt town officials have announced that Ryder Park will be closed on Friday. The park will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. National Grid staff have volunteered tree trimming, resurface paths, mulch the playground and put in new plants in the park. "We are thrilled at this opportunity, " Christine Manchester, the town's naturalist and sustainability coordinator. Ryder...

DeWitt town officials have announced that Ryder Park will be closed on Friday.

The park will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

National Grid staff have volunteered tree trimming, resurface paths, mulch the playground and put in new plants in the park.

"We are thrilled at this opportunity, " Christine Manchester, the town's naturalist and sustainability coordinator.

Ryder Park is a 12-acre park adjacent to the DeWitt Town Hall on Butternut Drive. The park features a butterfly house a newly refurbished Butterfly Garden (formerly Butterfly House), the James L. Guyette Arboretum a bicycle and exercise trail, canoe launch into Butternut Creek, fishing pond, picnic areas, grills, playground, tot swings and a pavilion with restrooms.

Anyone with questions can contact the town at 446-9250 ext 137.