Auburn Bagel Co. opened on Tuesday, bringing New York City-style bagels and a bevy of cream cheese and sandwich options downtown.
The shop is owned and operated by Auburn native Tony Daddabbo, who returned to his hometown after a 20-year, globe-trotting career as a restaurant consultant. The bagels are kettled and baked the traditional New York City way, he told 水果派AV last year, drawing on his experience working in renowned Manhattan shop Columbia Bagels.
On Tuesday, the shop's menu board advertised plain, everything, sesame, poppy, whole wheat, egg, onion, garlic, pumpernickel, cinnamon raisin and salt bagels. Cream cheese options include plain, scallion, veggie, walnut raisin, lox, plain tofu, veggie tofu and scallion tofu. Breakfast, lunch and specialty sandwiches are available as well, plus salads, soups, baked goods and beverages.
Daddabbo told 水果派AV there was a line outside the door before the shop's 6 a.m. opening. Located at 105 Genesee St., the shop stands in the same space as his family's pizza shop, Daddabbo's Pizza.
Auburn Bagel Co. is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays.听
For more information, visit (where online ordering will soon be available) or follow the shop on Instagram .
Editor's note: 水果派AV will have a feature on Auburn Bagel Co., with photos inside the shop, sometime in the near future.
Cayuga Nation sues New York state over gaming revenue
The Cayuga Nation is suing New York state for what it calls unlawful gaming activity taking place in person, and online, on reservation land.
The nation on Thursday said in a news release that it has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, after the state Gaming Commission failed to respond to two demands "to stop unlawful gaming activity on the Nation鈥檚 Reservation land."
The nation said that it is authorized by the Federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 to exclusively regulate the conduct of gaming on Indian lands, an agreement enacted "in an effort to afford Indian nations a means of economic independence."
The nation said that those exclusive rights are being undermined because the state has licensed numerous lottery and instant game terminals within reservation lands and that the nation should be receiving at least 60% of the net revenues from the state-licensed games. Most recently, the state gaming commission issued a license to Jackpocket Inc. to sell New York lottery tickets within reservation lands on mobile devices, reaching a larger number of New Yorkers.
"The Cayuga Nation has a responsibility to enforce its federally approved gaming ordinance and stop all unlawful gaming within the Reservation, whether by the State or private individuals," said the nation's federally recognized representative, Clint Halftown. "The Cayuga Nation Council will not ignore the State鈥檚 gaming, especially the expansion to mobile gaming and the license to Jackpocket Inc.鈥
The nation said that its attorneys sent correspondence in the fall 2023 and winter 2024 attempting to discuss these issues with the gaming commission and Jackpocket, but received no response.
Cayuga Nation cuts off Union Springs school district from natural gas well
The Union Springs Central School District is hoping for federal intervention after the Cayuga Nation cut off the district's access to a natural gas well it has used for more than 40 years.
The action has increased the district's energy bills by thousands of dollars, Superintendent Dr. Jarett Powers told 水果派AV, leading it to ask the Department of the Interior to address the issue.听
The nation disconnected the district from the well, which is located on land the nation owns behind its Lakeside Entertainment gaming facility at 271 Cayuga St. in the village, in early February.
The action followed months of failed negotiations between the nation and the district over payments for its continued use of the well. According to a Feb. 7 letter the district's counsel sent to the Department of the Interior, the district began using the well in 1981 through a farmout agreement with an energy corporation that had an oil and gas lease with the property owner at the time.
The nation acquired the property in 2004. The lease was excepted from the deed, the letter said, and a year later the nation told the district it did not wish to receive royalty payments for the well's use.
In April 2023, however, the nation contacted the district about its use of the well and "payments allegedly due the nation since 2005," the district's counsel wrote. The nation offered to release the district from its responsibility for those payments by terminating the lease, and blocked the well's access road. The offer, Powers noted, came shortly after the land was placed into federal trust.听
Union Springs High School.
Kevin Rivoli, 水果派AV
In a Feb. 6 letter to the district, the nation's counsel argued that the farmout agreement is not binding on the nation. For that reason, the letter continued, the district has owed the nation an annual lease payment of $148.80 and monthly royalty payments of 1/8 of the wholesale price paid for any gas from the well. The lease also gives the nation rights to 300,000 cubic feet of gas from the well a year.
In response, the Feb. 6 letter said, the district indicated to the nation "a willingness to resolve the discussion with a path to disconnect."
The nation then offered to let the district continue using the well through April 30 for $1,000 a month, which the letter said is "well below the market value of the gas the school district is withdrawing." The district counteroffered, the letter continued, by asking for $250,000 from the nation to disconnect. Calling the offer "outlandish," "unlawful" and "wrong," the nation cut the district off from the well.
"The Nation has tried to resolve this matter amicably," the Feb. 6 letter said. "But it appears the School District is simply unwilling to do so."
The Cayuga Nation and the Department of the Interior did not respond to requests for comment by 水果派AV.听
Powers said the well was a major source of energy for heating Union Springs school buildings over the past four decades. When the district was disconnected, it switched to NYSEG. The increased heating expenses for February, March and April required the district to adjust its budget in the middle of the year, he continued, which is why he called the well "a significant benefit to taxpayers."
Now, Powers hopes the federal government can find a solution.
"We're trying to figure out a path forward that's respectful to both sides," he said. "We want good relationships with our neighbors and to respect people's rights."
NY budget allows Hochul to close up to 5 state prisons
The 2024-25 state budget agreement allows Gov. Kathy Hochul to expedite the closure of up to five prisons, but it's still not known which correctional facilities will close in the new fiscal year.听
The authorizes Hochul to close the prisons with 90 days' notice to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.听
According to the legislation, the notice should include the list of correctional facilities that will close, the number of incarcerated individuals in each prison and the number of affected employees.听
Daniel Martuscello, acting commissioner of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, will be required to report to legislative leaders on staff relocation within 60 days after the prison closures.听
Hochul sought the authority to close more prisons in her state budget proposal. Under state law, prison closures require a one-year notice, but she wanted to expedite that process.听
In his budget testimony, Martuscello told lawmakers that a "staffing crisis" was the main reason for the plan to close more prisons. At the time, he said DOCCS had 3,800 vacant positions, including 1,900 corrections officers.听
The declining incarcerated population is also a factor, as it has been with past closures. DOCCS reports that the number of incarcerated individuals has decreased by 54.7%, from 72,649 at the population's peak in 1999 to 32,918 on April 1.听
New York has closed 24 prisons and eliminated more than 13,000 beds since 2011.听
"We are in a good position with excess capacity," Martuscello said in January. "We have 6,000 staffed vacant beds and an additional 6,000 beds which we've consolidated to try to alleviate staffing concerns. We can't consolidate any more, so closures is a way forward so we can make sure we use our staff more efficiently as well as provide the services to the population."聽
It's unknown which prisons will be in the latest round of closures. There are 44 prisons, including two in Cayuga County: Auburn Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in the city of Auburn, and Cayuga Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison in Moravia.听
State legislators are beginning to vote on the budget bills after Hochul and legislative leaders settled most budget issues. The state Assembly and Senate passed the public protection and general government budget bill on Thursday.听
Man charged with punching Cayuga County deputy after getting ticket
A man being written a traffic ticket after a minor accident in Cayuga County ended up in jail after reportedly punching a sheriff's deputy.
The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Friday that deputies responded to an address in the town of Ira at 2:48 p.m. Wednesday for a reported motor vehicle accident. The owner of the vehicle told deputies that Tyler Noxon returned her vehicle with damage to the passenger side, but he would not disclose to her what had happened.
During the sheriff's office's investigation, it was determined that Noxon had driven off the roadway on Humphrey Road near Route 176, causing damage to the vehicle. Deputies returned to the residence to serve Noxon with a violation-level traffic ticket for moving from a lane unsafely.
Tyler Noxon
While explaining the traffic ticket to Noxon, the sheriff's office said, he became agitated and struck one of the deputies in the head with a closed fist, causing injury.
Noxon "then continued to aggressively fight with the deputies while they affected the arrest," the office said.
He was charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and second-degree assault, and taken to the county jail on $25,000 cash, $50,000 bond.
The sheriff's office said the deputy who was punched was treated at Auburn Community Hospital and released.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at (315) 253-1222 or leave a tip at .
Syracuse police officer, Onondaga County sheriff's deputy killed in shootout
LIVERPOOL 鈥 A police officer and a sheriff's deputy in upstate New York were shot and killed Sunday night in an exchange of gunfire with another person, who also was killed, police said.
The shooting took place shortly after 8 p.m. in suburban Liverpool, about 6 miles north of Syracuse.
The Syracuse Police Department and Onondaga County Sheriff鈥檚 Office were tracking a vehicle that had eluded police earlier, Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile said during a news conference.
Two Syracuse police officers unsuccessfully attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle but got the license plate and tracked it to an address on Darien Drive in Liverpool. They requested assistance from the sheriff鈥檚 office after learning the vehicle's driver might be armed, Cecile said.
The officers found the vehicle at the home and saw what appeared to be guns inside the auto. They then 鈥渉eard what sounded like someone manipulating a firearm from inside the residence," Cecile said.
At least one person then exchanged gunfire with the officers. The Syracuse officer, sheriff鈥檚 deputy and the suspect were shot and brought to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.
All three were pronounced dead at the hospital, Cecile said. Their names were not immediately released.
鈥淲e lost two heroes tonight,鈥 Cecile said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was 鈥渉orrified by the senseless killing鈥 of the two officers.
鈥淢y prayers are with their families, loved ones, and their colleagues,鈥 the governor posted on X. 鈥淣ew York will never forget their heroism and service.鈥
The Post-Standard of Syracuse reports the officers were the first law enforcement officers to be killed in the line of duty in Onondaga County since Officer Wallie Howard Jr. was shot to death during an undercover drug operation in October 1990.
Cecile said the Syracuse officer who was killed had been with the department for three years and was ambitious and hard-working.
Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley said the deputy had been with the department for a longer period of time and 鈥渨as just a great guy.鈥
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said, "This is a dark day for Syracuse. This is our worst nightmare come true.鈥
Shelley said police planned to search the house as part of the ongoing investigation.
The U.S. flag at the Cayuga County Office Building was flown at half-staff Monday in honor of fallen officers, and the county encouraged individuals, businesses, schools, and municipalities to fly the flag at half-staff as a sign of respect.
Cayuga Nation calls Union Springs school district's gas well use 'unlawful'
The Cayuga Nation has responded to a report by 水果派AV that the nation recently cut off the Union Springs Central School District from a natural gas well it had been using for more than 40 years.
In a press release issued Monday, the nation said the district was drawing more than $100,000 of gas a year without paying the nation, which it called "unlawful gas well exploitation."
The nation has owned the well, which聽is located behind its Lakeside Entertainment gaming facility on Route 90 in Union Springs, since 2004.
Payments stopped the following year, the nation said, and the district refused to "come current" several years ago. The district also refused to disconnect from the well, citing a 1981 farmout agreement with an energy corporation that had an oil and gas lease with the former property owner. The nation called it a "four decades-old document with a third party which has never owned the well."聽
The nation disconnected the district from the well in early February after offering a payment schedule of $1,000 a month through April 30. The district counteroffered by asking for $250,000 to disconnect.
"This demand, which ignores the School District's long standing breach of lease terms, leaves the Nation with no choice but to assert its rights," the nation said. "Rather than do the right thing and agree to an orderly disconnection from the gas well, the District 鈥 apparently facing financial difficulty 鈥 has doubled down on its unsupported claims that it has the right to withdraw gas without paying for it."
The district has asked the Department of the Interior to address the issue. Superintendent Dr. Jarett Powers told 水果派AV the district has switched to NYSEG, increasing energy costs by thousands.
鈥淭he days of stealing from the Cayuga people are over. First our land and now our natural resources. We will not hesitate to protect the Nation鈥檚 property,鈥 said Clint Halftown, the nation鈥檚 federally recognized representative, in the news release. 鈥淭he District鈥檚 leadership claims a budget impact now, but that is on their poor planning and not due to the Nation stopping the theft of gas from its well.鈥
The Cayuga Nation has cut off the Union Springs school district's access to a natural gas well, increasing its energy bills by thousands.听
Three children injured after truck hits horse and carriage in Cayuga County
Three children were injured when a pickup truck struck the horse and carriage they were riding in on a road in southern Cayuga County.听
New York State Police said troopers responded to the crash at approximately 8:10 a.m. Tuesday. The collision occurred on Route 90 in the town of Locke.听
A Ford F150 pickup truck was traveling east on Route 90 when it hit the horse and carriage, police said. The operator of the horse and carriage, a 13-year-old boy, and one of his passengers, an 11-year-old girl, were treated for minor injuries. A 9-year-old boy was severely injured. The three children were transported to Upstate Community Hospital in Syracuse for treatment.听
The driver of the truck, Nosakhere T. Griggs, 30, of Buffalo, was not injured.听
The investigation is ongoing, according to state police. Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office and the Locke and Moravia fire departments.听
We're No. 1: Cayuga is top agriculture-producing NY county
Out of 62 counties in New York, Cayuga is the top agriculture producer of them all.听
According to the latest , Cayuga has overtaken Wyoming as the top agriculture-producing county in New York. Cayuga County leads with $461.9 million in sales, which also ranks it 234th among U.S. counties.听
In the last Census of Agriculture released in 2017, Cayuga County ranked second in New York with $287.8 million in sales. Wyoming County held the top spot with $307.5 million in sales.听
The main driver of Cayuga's success is livestock, poultry and products, with sales totaling $356.7 million 鈥 the highest of any New York county. A bulk of that amount comes from milk sales ($320.8 million), making Cayuga the top dairy-producing county in the state.听
Cayuga ranks second in the cattle and calves category, with sales totaling $27.6 million, second in sheep, goats, wool, mohair and milk (a sales figure was not disclosed) and sixth in crop sales ($105.2 million).听
Overall, Cayuga County accounts for 6% of New York's agricultural sales.听
"It's a great thing for the county," said Jon Patterson, president of the Cayuga County Farm Bureau and the owner of Patterson Farms in Springport. "We're having the increase in production, so that's definitely a good thing."聽
Patterson highlighted other findings from the Census of Agriculture, which covers a five-year period from 2018 through 2022. The percentage of Cayuga County farms growing cover crops increased from 21 to 26%.听
Cover crops are grown, in part, to conserve the environment.听
"It certainly looks like we're having a positive impact on soil health and water quality, as well," Patterson said. "Those are very strong things for the county."聽
However, the Census of Agriculture also revealed a concerning trend: A decreasing number of farms and a reduction in farmland.
Nationwide, there were 1.9 million farms in 2022, down from more than 2 million in 2017. In 2022, 880 million acres were used for farming, a drop from more than 900 million acres five years before.听
Patterson called the 20 million acres that went out of production over a five-year period in the U.S. "a scary number."聽
Cayuga County has lost nearly 100 farms since 2017 鈥 the total number of farms has dropped from 842 to 747 鈥 and farmland decreased from 225,204 acres to 222,764.听
The Census of Agriculture is released every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agriculture Statistics Service.听
Doug's Fish Fry owner named a top business leader in upstate New York
The owner of Doug's Fish Fry in Cortland is being recognized as one of the top businesspeople in upstate New York.
The U.S. Small Business Administration Upstate New York District Office on Friday announced the business owner winners for National Small Business Week 2024.
Mark Braun, of Doug鈥檚, was named Upstate District Rural Owned Small Business Person of the Year for the region that covers 34 counties in upstate and central New York.
To be nominated, the SBA said in a news release, candidates must own and operate, or bear principal responsibility of the small business for at least three years and have participated in at least one type of SBA assistance, such as access to capital, business counseling or disaster assistance. Candidates are then scored on staying power, employee growth, increase in profit the past three years, response to adversity and contributions to community-oriented projects.
鈥淥ur 2024 National Small Business Week award winners exemplify excellence, innovation and commitment, and the SBA is proud to showcase their incredible achievements and impact on their communities and our economy," SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman said in a statement.