Weekly top reads: Auburn flower shop blossoms, Wells College proposal
- 水果派AV staff
- Updated
- 0
水果派AV's top 10 most-read stories of the week.聽
- David Wilcox
- Updated
The Auburn Police Department has released body camera footage of a Sept. 7 arrest that knocked a man unconscious after weeks of community discussion about it, including comments at City Council.
In a news release Tuesday, Police Chief James Slayton said officers were聽interviewing a juvenile suspect on Cady Street that night. He was accused of trespassing on the properties of residents, who also had video footage of attempts by that juvenile and others to break into cars. The department had received several complaints about break-ins throughout the city in the weeks prior.
As officers interviewed the juvenile, Slayton continued, they were approached by Dedrick A. Parks, 25. He asked if the juvenile was on his property, and was told that the juvenile was indeed trespassing.
Parks then approached the juvenile and told him to stay off his property or he would "smoke" him, Slayton said. Officers placed their hands in front of Parks to keep him away from the juvenile, leading Parks to swat an officer's arm away and say, "Get the (obscenity) off of me." The officer and another then attempted to arrest Parks, who resisted despite commands to comply.
During the arrest, Slayton said, officers lifted Parks off the ground to destabilize him and take him to "a platform where he could be controlled." However, he hit his head on the concrete sidewalk and was knocked unconscious. Officers immediately called for emergency medical services and tended to Parks. After 42 seconds he regained consciousness, and was walked to a patrol car.
Due to a miscommunication, Slayton said, responders met Parks at Auburn police headquarters. He was charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.
Slayton said he released the footage due to "many misconceptions and false statements" about the arrest, in the interest of "transparency and the community having the facts."聽
"Through honesty and factual reporting of events, we want to continue to ensure the safety of the public and the officers on the street," he said.
Several community members spoke about the arrest during the public comment portions of recent meetings of Auburn City Council.
Resident Erica Manners said at council's Sept. 12 meeting that Parks, whom she called a "lifelong friend," couldn't open his mouth wide enough to eat as a result of his injury.聽
"His jawbones have been broken by the very hands that are meant to protect him," she said.
"I've known police brutality and abuse of power has gone on around the world for years, but to know it's so close to you shakes you to the core," she continued. "I just can't for the life of me understand how 'it takes a village,' but that same village is the one taking us, one by one, and breaking us and claiming it to be justified. Is there truly no other way? Is de-escalation no longer a tactic?"
Also speaking was resident Cherry Love-Duncan, aunt of Chelci Love, who was struck聽in the head several times by an Auburn police officer during an arrest recorded outside West Middle School Apartments in August. The department said the officer's strikes were "not considered excessive" and necessary to save Love's 3-year-old daughter from harm after Love wrapped her legs around her neck.
"All you're doing in this city is causing a whole lot of trouble," Love-Duncan told City Council. "A whole lot of tears. And we will not stand for it no more."
Resident Gwen Webber-McLeod, CEO of leadership development corporation Gwen Inc., noted her work as a diversity, equity and inclusion strategist with law enforcement organizations across the state. Supporting officers and keeping them safe must be balanced with making sure the communities they serve receive fair treatment, she said, and aren't punished for "simply living while Black."
"It is the birthright of every citizen in the city of Auburn, New York, to be equally protected under the law, kept safe, valued and respected as citizens coexisting in this community," she said.
"What we choose to do next as a city really matters."
- Robert Harding
- Updated
An investment banker in Ithaca has proposed a new use for Wells College while maintaining the Aurora institution's educational history.聽
Dr. Alan Biloski, senior managing director of Brock Capital Group, detailed his plan in an interview with 水果派AV. The concepts include boarding schools for kindergarten through 12th grade, international students or low-income rural children. Each idea is modeled after existing boarding schools, such as the Keystone Academy that has sites in China and Singapore and the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania.聽
An international boarding school, Biloski explained, could attract students who attend English language boarding schools in other countries, such as India and South Korea. The schools have high tuition 鈥 more than $60,000 a year, he said 鈥 and excess demand.聽
"They could cede some of their students to Wells to basically populate that campus," Biloski said.聽
The Milton Hershey School was founded in 1910 and has students from kindergarten through 12th grade. While it is based in Pennsylvania, Biloski noted one-third of the school's students are out-of-state residents. A similar school on the Wells campus could get students from the surrounding rural areas and out of state, he said.聽
A boarding school for low-income rural children would be based on the SEED Foundation's existing work in urban areas. The foundation has schools in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C. More than 1,400 students attend the four schools, according to the foundation's website.聽
Biloski said rural counties face many of the same problems 鈥 alcohol and drug abuse, poverty and lack of access to libraries 鈥 as cities.聽
"We thought we could use (the SEED Foundation's) franchise model, together with some altruistic capital, to create a rural model," he added.聽
Wells College has not accepted Biloski's proposals. He submitted his plan at the end of June and received an acknowledgment in mid-July. On July 31, he spoke to the college's asset divesture committee about his boarding school idea.聽
The virtual meeting lasted 45 minutes. Biloski said the feedback was positive. One trustee asked him how he would be successful raising money for this venture when the college was unable to generate enough revenue before it closed this year. He responded by noting the differences between fundraising for a liberal arts college and a boarding school, which he says is in demand.聽
Biloski highlighted successful boarding schools, including Union Springs Academy in Cayuga County and the Princeton International School of Math and Science in New Jersey.聽
"Do I have a guarantee that this is going to work? No," he said. "But there's lots of options to do this. I know if you don't try, the probability of success is zero."聽
One day after Biloski's presentation, he received an email from a Wells trustee notifying him that while his ideas "have merit," the college opted to launch a formal request for proposals. A follow-up conversation with another trustee yielded a similar response 鈥 that the college wants to explore alternative uses.聽
The revelation frustrated Biloski, who also had discussions with the state attorney general's office and state Sen. Rachel May's staff to build support for his proposal.聽
Wells must submit an asset disposition plan to the state attorney general's office for review. The college has not forwarded that plan, Biloski was told, so the attorney general's office does not yet have a role in the process.聽
Biloski has offered to travel to Aurora to meet with Wells College's leadership. Aside from a phone call with a trustee and what he described as mostly one-way email exchanges, there hasn't been a lot of communication about his proposal.聽
"I've volunteered to come there and they have not shown any interest. Zero," he said.聽
Wells College owns several properties in Aurora and has sold at least five since the closure announcement in April. The college is also selling the Ruth P. Thomas House, which was used as the president's residence.聽
The fate of the campus has not been decided. Although Wells leaders have not granted interview requests, the college said on its website that it is gathering feedback from the community and working with the attorney general's office on an asset disposition plan. The process is expected take months and won't be finalized until sometime next year.聽
- Christopher Malone
- Updated
Those who've shopped at the Auburn Wegmans recently may have had a hard time finding what they're looking for, as the store is undergoing a near-total reorganization.聽
The supermarket chain's director of community and media relations, Evelyn Ingram, outlined the changes taking place at the 1 Loop Road store in an email to 水果派AV:聽
- Nature's Marketplace grocery items are moving to the main grocery aisles.
- Nature's Marketplace will solely feature gluten-free products.
- Frozen food sections will be expanded and offer more products.
- Sidewalks on the north and south sides of the store, and those around the employee entrance, will be replaced with new concrete.
Ingram said the changes, which are being made to "enhance the customer experience," will be complete in about two or three weeks.聽
The reorganization is also taking place, she continued, to make the layout of the Auburn Wegmans more consistent with that of other stores in the chain.
- Christopher Malone
- Updated
AUBURN 鈥 To say Manette Becker and Karissa Thompson are excited to open their new downtown Auburn flower shop is an understatement.
When asked about the plan for their business, Petal Haus, they practically finished each other's sentences.
"Anything you need flowers for," Becker said.
"We'll make it a reality," Thompson added without hesitation.
A ribbon-cutting for the 83 Genesee St. shop is set for Friday, Oct. 11, but the owners hope to open the doors before then. They invited 水果派AV into the blossoming space last week. It includes a cooler with more than a dozen arrangements, a small seating nook with a couple of chairs, and two walls accented with floor-to-ceiling floral murals.
The owners described their eye-catching arrangements as modern and fun. Many have names paying homage to parts of the community they love, though they want to keep them a surprise.
"Each arrangement is its own piece of art," Becker said.聽
Customers will also find cut flowers, houseplants and non-floral gifts like cards at the shop, which will later have more tables and coolers.
Along with the named bouquets, custom orders will be an option. Whether it's for a wedding or a casual pickup, orders will eventually be taken in person, by phone or online.
Arranging a new opportunity
Thompson called Petal Haus a "big side project," and credited Becker for planting the seed for the business.
Thompson, a native of Moravia, is a realtor, and Becker, a native of Union Springs, works for the Cayuga County Parks & Trails Commission. They met a few years ago, and their relationship grew into much more. Aside from the flower shop, they're closely involved with the Friends of Emerson Park, a group that supports recreation, preservation and more at the Owasco Lake park.
The two imagine the shop as a family business, as they share two children with autism. Thompson said it could be a good place for them to go, have fun and work on their communication skills.聽
It's also with community and the future in mind that Becker and Thompson want to source their flowers from as many local farmers as possible.聽
That may affect their fall and winter bouquets, they said, but it's not a big worry at the moment. For now, they want to get Petal Haus in order so they can share their creativity with the community.
"Flowers make everybody smile," Thompson said. "They'll brighten anyone's day."
- David Wilcox
- Updated
An Auburn Police Department officer is in the hospital after breaking his leg while pursuing a suspect Thursday night at the Cayuga Inn at the Finger Lakes.
Officer Anthony Mastropietro shattered two bones in his lower leg during the pursuit, Chief James Slayton told 水果派AV. The suspect, Lawrence A. Atkins, 47, of Auburn, was eventually apprehended.
Slayton said police saw Atkins at the hotel earlier that day while serving unrelated subpoenas. Because his presence there violated an order of protection against him by an ex-girlfriend, and because he also had a warrant for his arrest out of Seneca County, officers returned that night to arrest him.
Atkins began fleeing while being handcuffed by Mastropietro, Slayton said. During the pursuit they turned a corner and the officer's leg hit a metal doorframe, causing his injury.
Other officers were able to catch Atkins and take him into custody a short distance from the hotel on South Street, Slayton said. He has been charged with second-degree assault (a class D felony), aggravated family offense (a class E felony), second-degree criminal contempt (a class A misdemeanor) and resisting arrest (a class A misdemeanor).
Mastropietro was transported to Upstate University Hospital, where he underwent surgery on Friday. A second surgery will be needed once his swelling has subsided, Slayton said.
The chief believes the incident highlights the need for people to comply with police. He noted that a couple other Auburn officers were injured this past week.
"This injury could have been prevented," he said. "This comes down to compliance when police advise you that you're under arrest."
- Robert Harding
- Updated
A lawsuit has been filed in Cayuga County Court on behalf of more than 30 Auburn residents to block the construction of an聽80-bed homeless shelter on Grant Avenue in the city.聽
The lawsuit alleges the Auburn Planning Board "erroneously found" that an environmental impact statement was not required for the project and did not comply with the city's code when it approved a "defective" site plan.聽
The plaintiffs, which include Prospect Pointe Apartments and more than 30 residents who own property or live near the proposed site, argue that the planning board should have issued a positive declaration 鈥 a move that would've required an environmental impact statement to be completed.聽
Auburn attorney Joe Camardo, who is representing the plaintiffs, also raises questions about the site plan approval process. He notes that the site plan review application was signed by Housing Visions, a Syracuse-based developer, but not Chapel House, which owns the existing shelter at 290-292 Grant Ave.聽
The planning board approved the site plan by a 3-1 vote on July 2. However, Camardo contends one member had a "serious conflict of interest."聽
Amy Sargent, one of the five planning board members, voted in favor of the resolutions at the meeting. Camardo alleges that at the time of the vote, Sargent was the chair of the Cayuga Community Health Network's board of directors 鈥 an organization that oversees a street outreach program to assist homeless individuals.聽
"As chairman of CCHN, Ms. Sargent has a vested interest into seeing that the resolutions were passed," Camardo wrote in the complaint. "The planning board's approval of the project would result in CCHN obtaining more referrals and more funding."聽
According to the Cayuga Community Health Network's website, Sargent is no longer chair or a member of the board.聽
The city of Auburn, the planning board, Housing Visions, Chapel House and Brian Hicks, the city's senior code enforcement officer, are listed as defendants. The city has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
Court filings show Nathan Garland, the city's corporation counsel, requested an extension to provide an answer. An appearance date has been set for Oct. 24.聽
Camardo and Garland declined to comment on the lawsuit.聽
The proposed 80-bed homeless shelter would replace an existing 16-bed facility on Grant Avenue. The Cayuga County Legislature voted in October 2023 to provide $1 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds for the project.聽
Proponents of the shelter say it's necessary to address rising homelessness in Cayuga County. In 2023, the county paid $3 million to house homeless individuals in hotels.聽
Amid opposition to the proposed shelter, Housing Visions sought a different location. The former Holy Family School at 85-93 North St. was identified as a possible site, but the Auburn Zoning Board of Appeals rejected the developer's request for a use variance that would've allowed it to construct the shelter there.
Housing Visions revised its site plan and submitted it to the Auburn Planning Board for review. Another public hearing was held before the board voted on July 2 to approve the site plan.聽
The lawsuit asks the court to annul to planning board's approval of the site plan and the negative declaration that was issued for the project. The plaintiffs are also seeking court action to prevent the city's code enforcement officer from issuing building or zoning permits to Housing Visions, as well as preventing the developer from beginning construction on the shelter.聽
- Kelly Rocheleau
- Updated
Two people in Auburn were arrested this week after the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force found 35 grams of cocaine at their apartment.聽
Auburn Police Department Sgt. Dave Edmonds, who runs the task force, told 水果派AV a search warrant was executed at the home of Leigh R. Rusin, 41, and Lori N. Skinkle, 36, at around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday.
In addition to the cocaine, Edmonds said, the task force discovered digital scales, packaging materials and some U.S. currency.聽
Rusin and Skinkle were both charged with third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance (class B and C felonies, respectively).
They were arraigned at the county's Centralized Arraignment Part court Wednesday morning and released on their own recognizance, Edmonds said.
- Kelly Rocheleau
- Updated
AUBURN 鈥 A Cayuga County Court judge sentenced a man to prison on Thursday for tricking an elderly couple out of thousands of dollars.
Joel F. Mathilda, 25, previously listed as living in the Bronx, was sentenced by Judge Jon Budelmann that afternoon to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison for third-degree grand larceny (a class D felony) and 364 days in the Cayuga County Jail for fifth-degree conspiracy (a misdemeanor). Both sentences will run concurrently.
Mathilda was not in court for his sentencing. One of his retained attorneys, Justin Lange, told Budelmann before the sentencing that he did not know where his client was. Budelmann noted that Mathilda, who pleaded guilty to the charges in March, had missed three previous sentencing dates.聽
Cayuga County Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Susan Azzarelli told 水果派AV after court that a warrant was issued for Mathilda in July, and it is still active. She said the DA's office last heard that Mathilda absconded from probation in Florida, and his location is unknown.
Mathilda and his two co-defendants, Jose A. Fermin Vasquez and Davide Invidia Arias, must pay about $4,500 in restitution between the three of them, Azzarelli said. Fermin Vasquez and Invidia Arias were sentenced earlier this year to five years of probation for third-degree grand larceny as well.
The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said the three defendants repeatedly stole from an elderly couple in the town of Throop in what's become known as a grandparent scam.
The couple was contacted by phone by someone claiming to be their grandson, saying he was in jail and needed money to make bail after being in a motor vehicle accident. The couple first withdrew $9,500 in cash, which they were instructed to place in a box for an Uber courier to pick up and deliver to an address in Syracuse.
This happened two more times to the couple, police said, ultimately leading to them sending more than $24,000 in cash.
Azzarelli said Thursday that law enforcement recovered the majority of the money.
- 水果派AV staff
- Updated
The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said two deputies had to scramble to get out of harm's way when a drunk driver nearly struck them on the side of a road.
According to a news release, the deputies were parked on the shoulder of East Genesee Street Road in the town of Sennett on Sept. 19, with two marked vehicles with emergency lights flashing, handling a disabled motor vehicle complaint.
As they were preparing to get back in their vehicles and leave the area, the sheriff's office said, the deputies saw a car coming in the distance, so they waited to open their doors and get into their vehicles. As the car approached, however, it did not move over and almost struck the parked police cars, causing the deputies to flee on foot to avoid being struck.
After the vehicle passed without striking them, the deputies got into their patrol cars with emergency lights and sirens activated and attempted to stop the vehicle. Initially, the driver failed to pull over, police said, before abruptly stopping.
William A. Maffei, 64, of Sennett, was operating the vehicle, and deputies determined that he was under the influence of alcohol. Maffei was arrested and transported to the Public Safety Building for processing, and the sheriff's office said he refused to provide a breath sample to determine his blood alcohol content.
Maffei was charged with the misdemeanors of second-degree reckless endangerment and driving while intoxicated, first offense, along with several other vehicle and traffic law violations. He was held at the Cayuga County Jail overnight, arraigned the following morning and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in Sennett Town Court at a later date.
- Kelly Rocheleau
- Updated
The mother of a man who committed suicide while incarcerated at the Cayuga County Jail has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county in federal court seeking at least $20 million in damages.
The lawsuit, filed by Sherri Williams in August in U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, alleges officials neglected the mental health needs of her son, Fred R. Williams Jr., 35, of Summerhill. He was found unresponsive at the jail on Nov. 24, 2022. After resuscitation measures were attempted he was transported to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where he died the next day.聽
The defendants in the lawsuit are the county, its jail, its sheriff's office and its mental health office, including Sheriff Brian Schenck and 30 unnamed county employees.
Sherri Williams seeks $10 million each for the county's alleged failure to provide medical care and for its alleged cruel and unusual punishment, as well as punitive damages, attorney fees and other costs.
Her attorneys at Syracuse firm Kenny & Kenny and Cayuga County Attorney Fred Westphal did not respond to requests for comment by 水果派AV.聽
'Deliberate indifference'
The lawsuit claims that "deliberate indifference" by the defendants toward the mental health and medical needs of Fred R. Williams Jr. led to his death. County staff failed to address his suicidal ideation, behavior and physical condition, the lawsuit continues, despite his "known history of suicide attempts and known extensive mental health history."
Multiple requests were made for Williams' mental health and psychiatric medications, the lawsuit says, but they were not provided despite his prescription history.
While Williams was put on constant watch due to his behavior, the lawsuit says, that behavior did not lead to a proper mental health assessment. Warning signs were also ignored, the lawsuit continues, such as him refusing time outside his cell the day he committed suicide despite normally waiting by the door to leave, as well as him refusing his dinner that evening.聽
"Fred鈥檚 extensive mental health history was, or should have been, well-known by defendants as Fred had been treated extensively by Cayuga County Mental Health," the lawsuit says.
According to the jail's log, at about 7:30 that night a corrections officer found Williams in his cell lying face-down in his bunk, unresponsive, with fabric tied around his neck and blood-soaked fabric around his left wrist. Auburn City Ambulance arrived at 7:45 p.m. and transported him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with brain death and placed on comfort care before being pronounced dead.聽
'A complete failure'聽
In September 2023, a聽report by the New York State Commission of Correction said Williams' death "may have been preventable." A medical review board found that Cayuga County Mental Health failed to give Williams continuity of care, properly assure his referral to a psychiatric provider and give him a proper diagnosis and treatment during his incarceration at the jail.
The county "failed multiple times over a seven-week period to provide even minimal psychiatric care to Mr. Williams, who suffered from chronic and serious mental disease," the report said.
"This represents a complete failure to continue his necessary psychiatric care."
The county responded with a comprehensive review of the jail's mental health services, and a corrective action plan for them. Actions included creating a rotation of three psychiatric nurse practitioners; replacing the existing social worker with a new full-time social worker and a new part-time one, as well as a supervisor for them; providing a mental health support staff; establishing weekly meetings with jail administration for transitioning new mental health staff; and implementing a new mental health referral process and developing an electronic medical record for mental health and medical staff.
Lauren Walsh, director of community services for Cayuga County and director of the Cayuga County Community Mental Health Center, told 水果派AV after the report that the county worked with the sheriff's office to review the conditions surrounding Williams' suicide and "made significant changes within the jail ... to enhance the quality of the mental health care to meet the increasing need.鈥
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- David Wilcox
The Auburn Police Department has released body camera footage of a Sept. 7 arrest that knocked a man unconscious after weeks of community discussion about it, including comments at City Council.
In a news release Tuesday, Police Chief James Slayton said officers were聽interviewing a juvenile suspect on Cady Street that night. He was accused of trespassing on the properties of residents, who also had video footage of attempts by that juvenile and others to break into cars. The department had received several complaints about break-ins throughout the city in the weeks prior.
As officers interviewed the juvenile, Slayton continued, they were approached by Dedrick A. Parks, 25. He asked if the juvenile was on his property, and was told that the juvenile was indeed trespassing.
Parks then approached the juvenile and told him to stay off his property or he would "smoke" him, Slayton said. Officers placed their hands in front of Parks to keep him away from the juvenile, leading Parks to swat an officer's arm away and say, "Get the (obscenity) off of me." The officer and another then attempted to arrest Parks, who resisted despite commands to comply.
During the arrest, Slayton said, officers lifted Parks off the ground to destabilize him and take him to "a platform where he could be controlled." However, he hit his head on the concrete sidewalk and was knocked unconscious. Officers immediately called for emergency medical services and tended to Parks. After 42 seconds he regained consciousness, and was walked to a patrol car.
Due to a miscommunication, Slayton said, responders met Parks at Auburn police headquarters. He was charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.
Slayton said he released the footage due to "many misconceptions and false statements" about the arrest, in the interest of "transparency and the community having the facts."聽
"Through honesty and factual reporting of events, we want to continue to ensure the safety of the public and the officers on the street," he said.
Several community members spoke about the arrest during the public comment portions of recent meetings of Auburn City Council.
Resident Erica Manners said at council's Sept. 12 meeting that Parks, whom she called a "lifelong friend," couldn't open his mouth wide enough to eat as a result of his injury.聽
"His jawbones have been broken by the very hands that are meant to protect him," she said.
"I've known police brutality and abuse of power has gone on around the world for years, but to know it's so close to you shakes you to the core," she continued. "I just can't for the life of me understand how 'it takes a village,' but that same village is the one taking us, one by one, and breaking us and claiming it to be justified. Is there truly no other way? Is de-escalation no longer a tactic?"
Also speaking was resident Cherry Love-Duncan, aunt of Chelci Love, who was struck聽in the head several times by an Auburn police officer during an arrest recorded outside West Middle School Apartments in August. The department said the officer's strikes were "not considered excessive" and necessary to save Love's 3-year-old daughter from harm after Love wrapped her legs around her neck.
"All you're doing in this city is causing a whole lot of trouble," Love-Duncan told City Council. "A whole lot of tears. And we will not stand for it no more."
Resident Gwen Webber-McLeod, CEO of leadership development corporation Gwen Inc., noted her work as a diversity, equity and inclusion strategist with law enforcement organizations across the state. Supporting officers and keeping them safe must be balanced with making sure the communities they serve receive fair treatment, she said, and aren't punished for "simply living while Black."
"It is the birthright of every citizen in the city of Auburn, New York, to be equally protected under the law, kept safe, valued and respected as citizens coexisting in this community," she said.
"What we choose to do next as a city really matters."
- Robert Harding
An investment banker in Ithaca has proposed a new use for Wells College while maintaining the Aurora institution's educational history.聽
Dr. Alan Biloski, senior managing director of Brock Capital Group, detailed his plan in an interview with 水果派AV. The concepts include boarding schools for kindergarten through 12th grade, international students or low-income rural children. Each idea is modeled after existing boarding schools, such as the Keystone Academy that has sites in China and Singapore and the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania.聽
An international boarding school, Biloski explained, could attract students who attend English language boarding schools in other countries, such as India and South Korea. The schools have high tuition 鈥 more than $60,000 a year, he said 鈥 and excess demand.聽
"They could cede some of their students to Wells to basically populate that campus," Biloski said.聽
The Milton Hershey School was founded in 1910 and has students from kindergarten through 12th grade. While it is based in Pennsylvania, Biloski noted one-third of the school's students are out-of-state residents. A similar school on the Wells campus could get students from the surrounding rural areas and out of state, he said.聽
A boarding school for low-income rural children would be based on the SEED Foundation's existing work in urban areas. The foundation has schools in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C. More than 1,400 students attend the four schools, according to the foundation's website.聽
Biloski said rural counties face many of the same problems 鈥 alcohol and drug abuse, poverty and lack of access to libraries 鈥 as cities.聽
"We thought we could use (the SEED Foundation's) franchise model, together with some altruistic capital, to create a rural model," he added.聽
Wells College has not accepted Biloski's proposals. He submitted his plan at the end of June and received an acknowledgment in mid-July. On July 31, he spoke to the college's asset divesture committee about his boarding school idea.聽
The virtual meeting lasted 45 minutes. Biloski said the feedback was positive. One trustee asked him how he would be successful raising money for this venture when the college was unable to generate enough revenue before it closed this year. He responded by noting the differences between fundraising for a liberal arts college and a boarding school, which he says is in demand.聽
Biloski highlighted successful boarding schools, including Union Springs Academy in Cayuga County and the Princeton International School of Math and Science in New Jersey.聽
"Do I have a guarantee that this is going to work? No," he said. "But there's lots of options to do this. I know if you don't try, the probability of success is zero."聽
One day after Biloski's presentation, he received an email from a Wells trustee notifying him that while his ideas "have merit," the college opted to launch a formal request for proposals. A follow-up conversation with another trustee yielded a similar response 鈥 that the college wants to explore alternative uses.聽
The revelation frustrated Biloski, who also had discussions with the state attorney general's office and state Sen. Rachel May's staff to build support for his proposal.聽
Wells must submit an asset disposition plan to the state attorney general's office for review. The college has not forwarded that plan, Biloski was told, so the attorney general's office does not yet have a role in the process.聽
Biloski has offered to travel to Aurora to meet with Wells College's leadership. Aside from a phone call with a trustee and what he described as mostly one-way email exchanges, there hasn't been a lot of communication about his proposal.聽
"I've volunteered to come there and they have not shown any interest. Zero," he said.聽
Wells College owns several properties in Aurora and has sold at least five since the closure announcement in April. The college is also selling the Ruth P. Thomas House, which was used as the president's residence.聽
The fate of the campus has not been decided. Although Wells leaders have not granted interview requests, the college said on its website that it is gathering feedback from the community and working with the attorney general's office on an asset disposition plan. The process is expected take months and won't be finalized until sometime next year.聽
- Christopher Malone
Those who've shopped at the Auburn Wegmans recently may have had a hard time finding what they're looking for, as the store is undergoing a near-total reorganization.聽
The supermarket chain's director of community and media relations, Evelyn Ingram, outlined the changes taking place at the 1 Loop Road store in an email to 水果派AV:聽
- Nature's Marketplace grocery items are moving to the main grocery aisles.
- Nature's Marketplace will solely feature gluten-free products.
- Frozen food sections will be expanded and offer more products.
- Sidewalks on the north and south sides of the store, and those around the employee entrance, will be replaced with new concrete.
Ingram said the changes, which are being made to "enhance the customer experience," will be complete in about two or three weeks.聽
The reorganization is also taking place, she continued, to make the layout of the Auburn Wegmans more consistent with that of other stores in the chain.
- Christopher Malone
AUBURN 鈥 To say Manette Becker and Karissa Thompson are excited to open their new downtown Auburn flower shop is an understatement.
When asked about the plan for their business, Petal Haus, they practically finished each other's sentences.
"Anything you need flowers for," Becker said.
"We'll make it a reality," Thompson added without hesitation.
A ribbon-cutting for the 83 Genesee St. shop is set for Friday, Oct. 11, but the owners hope to open the doors before then. They invited 水果派AV into the blossoming space last week. It includes a cooler with more than a dozen arrangements, a small seating nook with a couple of chairs, and two walls accented with floor-to-ceiling floral murals.
The owners described their eye-catching arrangements as modern and fun. Many have names paying homage to parts of the community they love, though they want to keep them a surprise.
"Each arrangement is its own piece of art," Becker said.聽
Customers will also find cut flowers, houseplants and non-floral gifts like cards at the shop, which will later have more tables and coolers.
Along with the named bouquets, custom orders will be an option. Whether it's for a wedding or a casual pickup, orders will eventually be taken in person, by phone or online.
Arranging a new opportunity
Thompson called Petal Haus a "big side project," and credited Becker for planting the seed for the business.
Thompson, a native of Moravia, is a realtor, and Becker, a native of Union Springs, works for the Cayuga County Parks & Trails Commission. They met a few years ago, and their relationship grew into much more. Aside from the flower shop, they're closely involved with the Friends of Emerson Park, a group that supports recreation, preservation and more at the Owasco Lake park.
The two imagine the shop as a family business, as they share two children with autism. Thompson said it could be a good place for them to go, have fun and work on their communication skills.聽
It's also with community and the future in mind that Becker and Thompson want to source their flowers from as many local farmers as possible.聽
That may affect their fall and winter bouquets, they said, but it's not a big worry at the moment. For now, they want to get Petal Haus in order so they can share their creativity with the community.
"Flowers make everybody smile," Thompson said. "They'll brighten anyone's day."
- David Wilcox
An Auburn Police Department officer is in the hospital after breaking his leg while pursuing a suspect Thursday night at the Cayuga Inn at the Finger Lakes.
Officer Anthony Mastropietro shattered two bones in his lower leg during the pursuit, Chief James Slayton told 水果派AV. The suspect, Lawrence A. Atkins, 47, of Auburn, was eventually apprehended.
Slayton said police saw Atkins at the hotel earlier that day while serving unrelated subpoenas. Because his presence there violated an order of protection against him by an ex-girlfriend, and because he also had a warrant for his arrest out of Seneca County, officers returned that night to arrest him.
Atkins began fleeing while being handcuffed by Mastropietro, Slayton said. During the pursuit they turned a corner and the officer's leg hit a metal doorframe, causing his injury.
Other officers were able to catch Atkins and take him into custody a short distance from the hotel on South Street, Slayton said. He has been charged with second-degree assault (a class D felony), aggravated family offense (a class E felony), second-degree criminal contempt (a class A misdemeanor) and resisting arrest (a class A misdemeanor).
Mastropietro was transported to Upstate University Hospital, where he underwent surgery on Friday. A second surgery will be needed once his swelling has subsided, Slayton said.
The chief believes the incident highlights the need for people to comply with police. He noted that a couple other Auburn officers were injured this past week.
"This injury could have been prevented," he said. "This comes down to compliance when police advise you that you're under arrest."
- Robert Harding
A lawsuit has been filed in Cayuga County Court on behalf of more than 30 Auburn residents to block the construction of an聽80-bed homeless shelter on Grant Avenue in the city.聽
The lawsuit alleges the Auburn Planning Board "erroneously found" that an environmental impact statement was not required for the project and did not comply with the city's code when it approved a "defective" site plan.聽
The plaintiffs, which include Prospect Pointe Apartments and more than 30 residents who own property or live near the proposed site, argue that the planning board should have issued a positive declaration 鈥 a move that would've required an environmental impact statement to be completed.聽
Auburn attorney Joe Camardo, who is representing the plaintiffs, also raises questions about the site plan approval process. He notes that the site plan review application was signed by Housing Visions, a Syracuse-based developer, but not Chapel House, which owns the existing shelter at 290-292 Grant Ave.聽
The planning board approved the site plan by a 3-1 vote on July 2. However, Camardo contends one member had a "serious conflict of interest."聽
Amy Sargent, one of the five planning board members, voted in favor of the resolutions at the meeting. Camardo alleges that at the time of the vote, Sargent was the chair of the Cayuga Community Health Network's board of directors 鈥 an organization that oversees a street outreach program to assist homeless individuals.聽
"As chairman of CCHN, Ms. Sargent has a vested interest into seeing that the resolutions were passed," Camardo wrote in the complaint. "The planning board's approval of the project would result in CCHN obtaining more referrals and more funding."聽
According to the Cayuga Community Health Network's website, Sargent is no longer chair or a member of the board.聽
The city of Auburn, the planning board, Housing Visions, Chapel House and Brian Hicks, the city's senior code enforcement officer, are listed as defendants. The city has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
Court filings show Nathan Garland, the city's corporation counsel, requested an extension to provide an answer. An appearance date has been set for Oct. 24.聽
Camardo and Garland declined to comment on the lawsuit.聽
The proposed 80-bed homeless shelter would replace an existing 16-bed facility on Grant Avenue. The Cayuga County Legislature voted in October 2023 to provide $1 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds for the project.聽
Proponents of the shelter say it's necessary to address rising homelessness in Cayuga County. In 2023, the county paid $3 million to house homeless individuals in hotels.聽
Amid opposition to the proposed shelter, Housing Visions sought a different location. The former Holy Family School at 85-93 North St. was identified as a possible site, but the Auburn Zoning Board of Appeals rejected the developer's request for a use variance that would've allowed it to construct the shelter there.
Housing Visions revised its site plan and submitted it to the Auburn Planning Board for review. Another public hearing was held before the board voted on July 2 to approve the site plan.聽
The lawsuit asks the court to annul to planning board's approval of the site plan and the negative declaration that was issued for the project. The plaintiffs are also seeking court action to prevent the city's code enforcement officer from issuing building or zoning permits to Housing Visions, as well as preventing the developer from beginning construction on the shelter.聽
- Kelly Rocheleau
Two people in Auburn were arrested this week after the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force found 35 grams of cocaine at their apartment.聽
Auburn Police Department Sgt. Dave Edmonds, who runs the task force, told 水果派AV a search warrant was executed at the home of Leigh R. Rusin, 41, and Lori N. Skinkle, 36, at around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday.
In addition to the cocaine, Edmonds said, the task force discovered digital scales, packaging materials and some U.S. currency.聽
Rusin and Skinkle were both charged with third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance (class B and C felonies, respectively).
They were arraigned at the county's Centralized Arraignment Part court Wednesday morning and released on their own recognizance, Edmonds said.
- Kelly Rocheleau
AUBURN 鈥 A Cayuga County Court judge sentenced a man to prison on Thursday for tricking an elderly couple out of thousands of dollars.
Joel F. Mathilda, 25, previously listed as living in the Bronx, was sentenced by Judge Jon Budelmann that afternoon to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison for third-degree grand larceny (a class D felony) and 364 days in the Cayuga County Jail for fifth-degree conspiracy (a misdemeanor). Both sentences will run concurrently.
Mathilda was not in court for his sentencing. One of his retained attorneys, Justin Lange, told Budelmann before the sentencing that he did not know where his client was. Budelmann noted that Mathilda, who pleaded guilty to the charges in March, had missed three previous sentencing dates.聽
Cayuga County Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Susan Azzarelli told 水果派AV after court that a warrant was issued for Mathilda in July, and it is still active. She said the DA's office last heard that Mathilda absconded from probation in Florida, and his location is unknown.
Mathilda and his two co-defendants, Jose A. Fermin Vasquez and Davide Invidia Arias, must pay about $4,500 in restitution between the three of them, Azzarelli said. Fermin Vasquez and Invidia Arias were sentenced earlier this year to five years of probation for third-degree grand larceny as well.
The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said the three defendants repeatedly stole from an elderly couple in the town of Throop in what's become known as a grandparent scam.
The couple was contacted by phone by someone claiming to be their grandson, saying he was in jail and needed money to make bail after being in a motor vehicle accident. The couple first withdrew $9,500 in cash, which they were instructed to place in a box for an Uber courier to pick up and deliver to an address in Syracuse.
This happened two more times to the couple, police said, ultimately leading to them sending more than $24,000 in cash.
Azzarelli said Thursday that law enforcement recovered the majority of the money.
- 水果派AV staff
The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said two deputies had to scramble to get out of harm's way when a drunk driver nearly struck them on the side of a road.
According to a news release, the deputies were parked on the shoulder of East Genesee Street Road in the town of Sennett on Sept. 19, with two marked vehicles with emergency lights flashing, handling a disabled motor vehicle complaint.
As they were preparing to get back in their vehicles and leave the area, the sheriff's office said, the deputies saw a car coming in the distance, so they waited to open their doors and get into their vehicles. As the car approached, however, it did not move over and almost struck the parked police cars, causing the deputies to flee on foot to avoid being struck.
After the vehicle passed without striking them, the deputies got into their patrol cars with emergency lights and sirens activated and attempted to stop the vehicle. Initially, the driver failed to pull over, police said, before abruptly stopping.
William A. Maffei, 64, of Sennett, was operating the vehicle, and deputies determined that he was under the influence of alcohol. Maffei was arrested and transported to the Public Safety Building for processing, and the sheriff's office said he refused to provide a breath sample to determine his blood alcohol content.
Maffei was charged with the misdemeanors of second-degree reckless endangerment and driving while intoxicated, first offense, along with several other vehicle and traffic law violations. He was held at the Cayuga County Jail overnight, arraigned the following morning and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in Sennett Town Court at a later date.
- Kelly Rocheleau
The mother of a man who committed suicide while incarcerated at the Cayuga County Jail has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county in federal court seeking at least $20 million in damages.
The lawsuit, filed by Sherri Williams in August in U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, alleges officials neglected the mental health needs of her son, Fred R. Williams Jr., 35, of Summerhill. He was found unresponsive at the jail on Nov. 24, 2022. After resuscitation measures were attempted he was transported to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where he died the next day.聽
The defendants in the lawsuit are the county, its jail, its sheriff's office and its mental health office, including Sheriff Brian Schenck and 30 unnamed county employees.
Sherri Williams seeks $10 million each for the county's alleged failure to provide medical care and for its alleged cruel and unusual punishment, as well as punitive damages, attorney fees and other costs.
Her attorneys at Syracuse firm Kenny & Kenny and Cayuga County Attorney Fred Westphal did not respond to requests for comment by 水果派AV.聽
'Deliberate indifference'
The lawsuit claims that "deliberate indifference" by the defendants toward the mental health and medical needs of Fred R. Williams Jr. led to his death. County staff failed to address his suicidal ideation, behavior and physical condition, the lawsuit continues, despite his "known history of suicide attempts and known extensive mental health history."
Multiple requests were made for Williams' mental health and psychiatric medications, the lawsuit says, but they were not provided despite his prescription history.
While Williams was put on constant watch due to his behavior, the lawsuit says, that behavior did not lead to a proper mental health assessment. Warning signs were also ignored, the lawsuit continues, such as him refusing time outside his cell the day he committed suicide despite normally waiting by the door to leave, as well as him refusing his dinner that evening.聽
"Fred鈥檚 extensive mental health history was, or should have been, well-known by defendants as Fred had been treated extensively by Cayuga County Mental Health," the lawsuit says.
According to the jail's log, at about 7:30 that night a corrections officer found Williams in his cell lying face-down in his bunk, unresponsive, with fabric tied around his neck and blood-soaked fabric around his left wrist. Auburn City Ambulance arrived at 7:45 p.m. and transported him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with brain death and placed on comfort care before being pronounced dead.聽
'A complete failure'聽
In September 2023, a聽report by the New York State Commission of Correction said Williams' death "may have been preventable." A medical review board found that Cayuga County Mental Health failed to give Williams continuity of care, properly assure his referral to a psychiatric provider and give him a proper diagnosis and treatment during his incarceration at the jail.
The county "failed multiple times over a seven-week period to provide even minimal psychiatric care to Mr. Williams, who suffered from chronic and serious mental disease," the report said.
"This represents a complete failure to continue his necessary psychiatric care."
The county responded with a comprehensive review of the jail's mental health services, and a corrective action plan for them. Actions included creating a rotation of three psychiatric nurse practitioners; replacing the existing social worker with a new full-time social worker and a new part-time one, as well as a supervisor for them; providing a mental health support staff; establishing weekly meetings with jail administration for transitioning new mental health staff; and implementing a new mental health referral process and developing an electronic medical record for mental health and medical staff.
Lauren Walsh, director of community services for Cayuga County and director of the Cayuga County Community Mental Health Center, told 水果派AV after the report that the county worked with the sheriff's office to review the conditions surrounding Williams' suicide and "made significant changes within the jail ... to enhance the quality of the mental health care to meet the increasing need.鈥
