Ë®¹ûÅÉAV

Slayton said Wegmans' initial request was for an officer to be at the store seven days a week. Both sides agreed on a four-day schedule, from 5:45 to 11:45 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. 

For the officers, it's an off-duty shift. Slayton explained that the timing of the Wegmans detail coincides with the department's shifts. For example, an officer could work six hours at Wegmans and then work the midnight shift for the police department. It doesn't affect staffing for police shifts, he said. 

"They sign up for this as an off-duty detail and they do it on their own time," Slayton said, adding that Wegmans is covering the costs of the detail — the company reimburses the city — and the officers are paid based on their rank and salary. 

Wegmans did not answer 's questions, including why an officer was requested for the Auburn store. Evelyn Ingram, a Wegmans spokesperson, said in a statement that the supermarket chain has "security coverage in all our stores and have a variety of security measures that we utilize on a daily basis." 

She continued, "For security and safety purposes, we do not get into the specific tactics used at each store." 

There wasn't a specific incident that led to Wegmans' outreach, according to Slayton. He said the Auburn store "had a few issues in the past," which led Wegmans to contact the police department requesting an officer. 

One incident occurred in April involving a man who entered Wegmans carrying two knives. Officers responded and ordered the man to drop the knives. He complied and an interview determined he had mental health issues. He was transported to a hospital and was not charged. 

Since the Wegmans detail began this summer, Slayton said he's received feedback, most of which is from people who "love seeing the officer there."

"It's just another added protection that they feel safe with coming and going out of Wegmans," he said. "As you evolve and realize some things need to change, Wegmans took it upon themselves to reach out to us and we try to accommodate as best we can based on our manpower." 

An apparent video of the incident has been to TikTok. The video shows a man wearing a New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision uniform with the name tag "Stachowski" approaching the recorder of the video, who says, "You tried to run me off the road." The recorder then says, "You're a corrections officer, not a police officer, so why are you flashing me your badge?" The uniformed man then covers his name tag and reaches for the recorder's cellphone. After some rustling, the video ends. It has been viewed more than 16,500 times on TikTok.

Following an investigation, Stachowski was arrested on charges of fourth-degree grand larceny, a Class E felony, and official misconduct, a misdemeanor, state police said.

State police noted in a news release that Stachowski is employed by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision as deputy superintendent of the Auburn prison. 

Stachowski was transported to the state police barracks in Horseheads for processing and issued an appearance ticket for town court Aug. 1.

Jason Curtis, general manager of Nucor Steel in Auburn, told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV the company based its challenge on a review of comparable industrial facilities in the city by a consultant in 2021. The review led the company, which employs more than 250 people, to conclude that its assessments are "dramatically" higher than those comparable properties, Curtis said.

Though Nucor already received one reduction after challenging the city's tentative 2023 assessments, the final assessments are still "excessive" and "illegal," the company's petition said.

"Because of these errors, (Nucor) will be required to pay significantly higher taxes than it would be required to pay if the assessment(s) had been made correctly," the petition said.

Curtis said Nucor has been working with the city, provided its assessor's office information about the company's properties and the steel industry, and offered tours of the facility. The company has also discussed its assessments with representatives of Cayuga County and the Auburn Enlarged City School District, which receive tax revenue from Nucor's properties as well.

"We value our relationship with the city and being part of the local business community," Curtis said. "We are simply hoping that we can come to a fair and reasonable property value assessment."

But assessor Jeanne Hering, with the city of Auburn's Office of Real Property Assessment, told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV on Thursday that she does believe Nucor's assessment is fair.

The company's assessments were based on "a lot of analysis," Hering said, including the prices of other steel mills that have recently sold in the Northeast. She also provided Ë®¹ûÅÉAV a spreadsheet of 32 city properties zoned for manufacturing and processing, and how much they've been assessed per square foot. Nucor is the 12th highest, at $32.66.

The company's 2023 assessments are low historically, too. According to city records, Nucor's main 25 Quarry Road property was assessed at about $30 million until 2021, when it dropped to $15.2 million.

"They really haven't given us anything to prove that what they think their assessment should be is correct," Hering said.

If Nucor's assessment is lowered, the amount of taxes the company pays to the city, county and school district will probably lower as well. But that amount will vary over the next eight years due to Nucor's payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with the Auburn Industrial Development Authority. The 2007 agreement was extended in 2020, and continues through 2031.

The 2023-2024 tax year will see Nucor return to being taxed based on its assessed value. Under the PILOT, the company paid taxes based on a total value of $4.5 million in 2021-2022 and $5.25 million in 2022-2023. But Nucor will receive a 60% tax abatement in 2023-2024, and that figure will decrease incrementally every year until it's 10% in 2030-2031.

Nonetheless, with the city's current total tax rate at 35.4%, the amount of revenue at stake as Nucor challenges its assessment is indeed significant, said Michael Miller, executive director of the Cayuga Economic Development Agency. That's why the agency, which staffs the Auburn Industrial Development Authority, is watching the challenge closely, he told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV.

Depending on how the challenge plays out, AIDA could revise its PILOT agreement with Nucor, Miller said.

"All PILOTs are here to help induce economic activity. If it's not assisting both the company and the community, then there's a disconnect," he said. "But I think Nucor has been a good employer for the city of Auburn for a long time. That's part of the reason they've had a longstanding PILOT with AIDA. I don't imagine that how this falls would be considered a contentious issue." 

The case goes back to Nov. 18, 2022, when  members of the sheriff's office investigated a complaint of several bad checks being issued at BJ Wholesale at 11 Plaza Drive in Sennett. An investigation was conducted, and it was determined that Jones issued several bad checks over the course of a two-month period.

 She was arrested Tuesday, arraigned in centralized arraignment and released with a later return date to the Town of Sennett Court.

The thefts included more than $451,000 in checks Parry wrote to himself and 794 cash advances totaling $334,900 from a company credit card. He also used the credit card for $62,302 in personal expenses, including hotel stays and rental cars. 

Auditors explained that the improper payments went unnoticed because the fire department's board "did not review bills (claims) paid by the former treasurer, receive written financial reports or review bank and investment statements and canceled check images." 

The board also believed that an accountant was reviewing the payments, according to the audit. However, the accountant told auditors that he trusted Parry, whom he knew for more than 30 years, and only reviewed the checkbook register and bank statements. 

When Parry's misdeeds were uncovered, the comptroller's office says the fire company ended its relationship with the accountant. The audit notes, though, that if "the board reviewed and approved claims before payment and regularly reviewed written financial reports, bank and investment statements and canceled check images, it may have prevented this misappropriation of funds or detected it much sooner." 

Parry served as the Hannibal Fire Company's treasurer until March 2022, when members elected a new treasurer. However, he continued to control the company's funds. 

The company's president and chief met with Parry after learning he had a company credit card they did not know existed, according to the audit. He admitted that he used the credit card for personal expenses and was suspended in May 2022. The department's chief asked the state comptroller's office for an audit. 

Parry died on May 26, 2022. His mentions that he was a member of the Hannibal Fire Company and served more than 50 years as its treasurer. 

Because of Parry's death, the comptroller's office did not refer its findings to law enforcement. Parry is not named in the audit. 

The comptroller's office recommends that the fire company should try to recover the stolen funds from its insurance provider. The department should also ensure that claims are supported, audited and approved prior to payment, according to the report, and the treasurer's work should be monitored. There should also be a mandated annual audit conducted by an independent public accountant. 

After reviewing a draft of the audit, the Hannibal Fire Company's leadership notified the state comptroller's office that it is "following the recommendations as detailed out in the preliminary report." 

"We have put in place, with the help of the new administration, checks and balances along with numerous other procedures," said Michael Flack, president of the Hannibal Fire Company's board, and Nathan Sweeting, the board's secretary. 

Bartolotta asked for an "hh (half-hour) rate" and offered to pay more for "'raw' and anal sexual intercourse," the report says. He also allegedly requested nude photos of the girl, and to see her in person. 

At about 6 p.m. June 8, the report says, Bartolotta drove to an address in Olympia Terrace to meet what he thought was the girl. He honked his horn at an officer posing as the girl's aunt and remained at the address for more than 30 seconds, then left when the girl did not appear outside as he requested. He was arrested June 21 for the class D felony.

Bartolotta's charges have been waived for the action of a grand jury and are pending review, Cayuga County District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV.

Bartolotta's attorney, Melissa Swartz, declined comment to Ë®¹ûÅÉAV.

Bartolotta, who owns and manages several commercial and residential properties in the Auburn area with his family's R&M Real Estate Group, was arrested along with Daniel Miller, 39, of Liverpool, and Brian Neilson, 41, of Seneca Falls. The arrests were the result of a two-week joint operation by the police department, the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, New York State Police, the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force and the FBI to identify people seeking to engage in sexual acts with children younger than 15.

Police said more victims may be identified as a result of the operation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the sheriff's office at , call its Criminal Investigation Division at (315) 253-1610, email the Auburn Police Department at communitywatch@auburnny.gov or call its Detective Bureau at (315) 255-4705. Police said callers can remain anonymous.

For the manslaughter charge, Carncelli was sentenced Tuesday to 3.5 to 7 years in state prison. He was also sentenced to seven years in prison followed by three years of post-release supervision for the possession charge, with both sentences running concurrently.

Before the decision was announced, Eric Smith, Carnicelli's attorney, said that his client's pre-sentence investigation report from the Cayuga County Probation Department indicated Carnicelli expressed regret for what happened.

"The probation department went out of their way to provide how much remorse he had for his actions," Smith said.

Adding that Carnicelli had been friends with the victim for six years, Smith said his client has a 10-year-old child and has struggled with addiction issues for years. 

"If he gets help, I think he could turn things around quite substantially," Smith said.

When asked if he wanted to say anything on his own behalf, Carnicelli expressed remorse and said he has tried every recovery program available at the Cayuga County Jail.

"I'm very sorry for what happened," he said. 

While victim impact statements were sent to the court, no one was present to read them. Budelmann said he was sent letters from the victim's mother and another relative, who said they felt the blame couldn't be placed solely on Carnicelli, as the victim had a substance abuse issue. It was later noted that the victim's mother asked if Carnicelli could be given her contact information. Budelmann noted Carnicelli's addiction issues and later lauded him for engaging in recovery programs while at the jail, but said the problem in this instance wasn't Carnicelli's addiction, "it was your selling."

Britton Bouchard represented the DA's office Tuesday. Cayuga County District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci previously said that during Carnicelli's guilty plea in May, he admitted that in late October, "He consciously disregarded the known risk of a fatal overdose when he sold a bundle of heroin laced with a fentanyl compound, which caused the victim to suffer a fatal overdose, thereby recklessly causing the victim’s death."

The DA's office said Carnicelli sold the drugs despite knowing that the victim was on prescription medication and had a higher risk of death. The day after the overdose death, Carnicelli was found in possession of more than 1/8 of an ounce of fentanyl during a search of his home. During his plea, Carnicelli admitted to knowingly possessing the fentanyl with the intent to sell it.

An investigation found that Lindsay M. Naab, 26, of Derby, was driving a 2024 Chevy Trax and hit her mother, Annette Naab, 57, also of Derby. 

Annette Naab suffered severe injuries. EMTs and state troopers attempted life-saving measures at the scene, according to a news release. But she was transported to Newark Wayne Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. 

Lindsay Naab has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree vehicular manslaughter and felony DWI. She was processed at the state police headquarters in Wolcott, then transported to the Wayne County Jail for arraignment. 

The state police is continuing to investigate the incident. 

Former Auburn High athletic director Tamela Ray has been Section III's executive director on an interim basis since Jan. 1. 

The Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services (OCM BOCES) announced the hire on Monday. 

Mulvaney becomes only the second full-time executive director for Section III — Rathbun was the first — in the organization's 70-year history. He'll begin in an official capacity on Aug. 16.

"I am thrilled about my new role in Section III and grateful for the opportunity," Mulvaney said. "Section III has a rich history in New York state athletics, and I am honored to be a part of it. I am excited to serve and collaborate with our member schools and provide a meaningful experience for our student-athletes.

In conjunction with the announcement, it was also revealed that Section III athletics will now fold into the OCM BOCES structure, which already exists in many of the 11 sections in New York state. 

"Todd is a good communicator, with integrity and a strong work ethic," Ray said in a press release from OCM BOCES. "His collaborative and transparent leadership style will serve Section III well as we transition to this partnership with OCM BOCES. I think the Section III athletic directors and sports coordinators will appreciate Todd's vision and willingness to support them."

Moravia's administration was informed of Mulvaney's impending departure in an email from Superintendent John Birmingham last Thursday. 

In his new role Mulvaney will oversee over 100 school districts in the central New York region and be Section III's primary representative for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. Within the section, he'll also help facilitate rule changes, negotiate contracts with officials' organizations and help decide venues for postseason tournaments, among several other responsibilities. 

Mulvaney has been Moravia's varsity basketball coach since 2007, save for a one-year hiatus in 2019-20, and led the Blue Devils to six Section IV, Class C championships and the NYSPHSAA Class C state title in 2017. 

During his tenure as Moravia's athletic director, Mulvaney helped garner support for a $25 million capital project that includes a new synthetic turf field, stadium lights and a new eight-lane track for the Scarry Athletic Complex behind Millard Fillmore Elementary. 

The project was approved in December.

Prior to accepting his position as Moravia's athletic director in 2019, Mulvaney was a physical education teacher in the Moravia and Auburn school districts. He graduated from Moravia High School in 1998 and is a member of the school district's Hall of Achievement. 

Mulvaney has a bachelor's degree in physical education from SUNY Brockport and a master's degree in health education, with a certificate of advanced study, from SUNY Cortland. 

Williams, R-Sennett, had heart bypass surgery at St. Joseph's Health in Syracuse on July 12. The procedure was performed after he was examined by doctors at Crouse Hospital. He credited the physicians for "avoiding a crisis and ensuring my timely treatment." 

Williams missed votes that week, but returned to work on July 17, five days after the surgery. 

The House of Representatives is in session this week and two votes were held Tuesday. Williams was present for those votes. 

"We fully expect Rep. Williams to continue on his path towards recovery," Weyeneth said, adding that there will be no further comment to respect Williams' privacy and to "(give) him the time necessary to fully heal and resume his full schedule on behalf of the people of central New York and the Mohawk Valley." 

Williams, 56, was elected to represent the 22nd Congressional District in 2022. The district includes all of Onondaga, Madison and Oneida counties, plus a small portion of Oswego County.