Weekly top reads: Fingerlakes Mall for sale, historic Auburn home sold, Dustin Mondics thanks first responders
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Ë®¹ûÅÉAV's top 10 most-read stories of the week.Ìý
- David Wilcox
- Updated
Fingerlakes Mall is for sale.Ìý
New York City brokerage firm Eastern Consolidated has listed the Aurelius shopping center on and commercial real estate marketplace with an asking price of $7 million.
The mall is owned by Sam Abram, CEO of New York City wholesaler Siba Corporation. He is the mall's since it opened in 1980.
´¡²ú°ù²¹³¾Ìý the mall for $27 million in 2006. With the then-recent addition of outdoors retailer and a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes with Cayuga County that projected the mall's value would soar from $4.6 to $25 million by 2019, Abram called the mall an "attractive purchase."
But the mall's value stagnated. Shortly after Abram's purchase, its  began declining due to a mix of the Great Recession, consumer habits shifting away from shopping malls and, according to some former tenants, . More than 20 national tenants, including anchors and , have left the mall since 2008.
According to , the mall's market value is $4,651,163 as of 2016.
That year, the mall added area retailers through a new program, , and continued aggressively in its empty storefronts. Eastern Consolidated says in the 492,592-square-foot mall's that it now has an occupancy rate of 69 percent. The firm projects a net operating income of $540,693 for prospective owners.
"(The mall) represents a tremendous opportunity to redevelop a large-scale property at a strategic crossroads in the (Finger Lakes) as either a reconceived shopping destination and experience or as a completely new use," Eastern Consolidated says in the property's . The firm describes itself as being "at the forefront of transactions that define the New York City skyline."
Eastern Consolidated Director Michael Hunter Coghill told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV Tuesday that Siba contracted the firm to sell the mall about two months ago. He could not immediately provide further comment.
Rene Patterson, the mall's of two and a half years, declined comment. Siba did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- Gwendolyn Craig
- Updated
AUBURN — A woman found dead in the Owasco River Sunday evening has been identified as 47-year-old Sherry L. Stephenson of Auburn, the Auburn Police Department said.
Police are still investigating the circumstances of Stephenson's death, but they said there was no foul play, and there is nothing suspicious at this time.Ìý
Auburn police officers responded to reports of a woman in the Owasco River near the North Division Street bridge at around 7 p.m. Sunday. The Auburn Fire Department's Swift Water Rescue Team and the Onondaga County Sheriff Department's Air 1 helicopter assisted in the operation.
The woman's body was removed from the Owasco River at about 8:15 p.m. near the Aurelius Avenue bridge.
During the search and rescue attempt, the swift water rescue crews were stationed along the river's embankments surveying the rushing currents. The APD used caution tape to block off areas at the North Division Street bridge and again down at the Aurelius Avenue bridge. The helicopter dispatched to the scene circled the river.Ìý
Crews could be seen sliding down an embankment just beyond the Aurelius Avenue bridge. Flashlights and a beam from the helicopter illuminated the increasingly darkening waters.
Anyone with information about the incident should contact Investigator Mark Schafer at (315) 252-5874 or (315) 253-3231. Callers may remain anonymous.
- David Wilcox
- Updated
AUBURN — Patrick Collier Connelly was sold by the time he got to the staircase.Ìý
The Scipio native was looking for a summer house in the Cayuga County area in May when someone posted a picture on his Facebook page with the words, "You should buy this house haha."
The house: 45 Owasco St. However, it's not known as a house, but as a castle — "The Auburn Castle." And after closing on it Wednesday, Connelly is its new king.
Built in 1870, the 3,400-square-foot Gothic revival structure began as the home of Auburn Woolen Mill Superintendent Samuel Laurie and his family.
Auburn woman , who's helping Connelly fill in the history of the house, said the mill built the house specifically for Laurie. Then living in Rhode Island, the Scotland native sought some incentive to move to Auburn and take the superintendent job there.
"He had made a comment that he wanted a house built like a Scottish manor, like a castle, and they did just that," DeJoy-Genkos said.
The house was designed by Nelson Hamblin, who also worked on the Faatz-Crofut Home for the Elderly and the . It also sports masonry by Henry Smith Cragg Sweeting, whose roughcast bricklaying bears some resemblance to his work on in Rutherford, New Jersey.
When Laurie passed away in 1895, DeJoy-Genkos said, he was succeeded as the head of the household by several mill superintendents: Thomas Clark (1895-1926), Henry Buttery (1926), Howard Wood (1926-1928) and Joseph Booth (1928-1929). Then, through an intermediary, "The Auburn Castle" was sold to the Pastushan family.
While living in the red brick Owasco Street house, Nicholas and Mary Pastushan expanded its neighboring carriage house into an auto painting shop and gas station, Quick as a Wink Oil Co., in the 1930s. They claimed to be the oldest active car pinstripers in New York state by the time Nicholas passed in 1969 and Mary in 1983.
The Pastushans left the house to their daughter Virginia, DeJoy-Genkos said. Like her parents and the Auburn Woolen Mill superintendents before them, Virginia and her husband, the late Vernon Dewey, didn't alter the house much. Virginia left it a few years ago, and now resides at the Auburn Rehab and Nursing Center.
"The Auburn Castle" was on the market for less than a month when realtor Todd Post was contacted by Connelly in May.Ìý
Touring the house through a video call with Post, Connelly said he agreed to buy it by the time the realtor got to the curving stairway just feet away from the main entrance. Though the nearly 150-year-old structure will need a new roof, electrical work, plumbing, heating and more, Connelly continued, he was sold on the beauty of its unaltered bones.
"It needs everything, but it's structurally sound," he said. "It's a castle. It was built to last."
Connelly had been living in Gainesville, Georgia, for 23 years, running a chandelier cleaning and restoration business, when he began looking for a summer home near his central New York birthplace. With three children, four grandchildren, five brothers and a sister, he mainly wanted "a place where all the family can meet," he said.
When Connelly bought "The Auburn Castle," however, his project became bigger than that.
Restoring the house will take approximately five years, he said. Though he purchased it for about $40,000, it comes with a price tag of up to 10 times that amount in renovation work. Connelly also purchased the neighboring millhouse, which he'll repair and then reside in while completing the castle's restoration.Ìý
Like the house's previous occupants, Connelly doesn't plan to change "The Auburn Castle." He wants to be "as original as possible" in restoring its four main bedrooms and two servants' quarters, one bathroom, a library, a parlor, a kitchen with a butler's pantry and its own stairway, and the rest of the red brick house.
Andrew Roblee, of Auburn, led a day of work on the house in October with Cornell graduate students in the university's chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology. The students repaired some windows and counterweight systems in the walls that day, and Roblee continues to provide Connelly advice, he said.
Roblee supports the house's restoration because it's significant not only architecturally, he said, but economically. As the vantage from which Laurie and other Auburn Woolen Mill superintendents looked over its operations, it represents a more industrious time in Auburn's history.
"It's unlike anything else in the city or anything even in the region," Roblee said of the house. "The whole configuration of the building and the building style is really significant and very interesting. It's not something you expect to see in that neighborhood."
As for the carriage house, Connelly plans to strip the Pastushans' 20th-century additions from it and convert the structure into an antique shop. He may operate it with his partner in Two Old Dogs, a similar shop Connelly owns in Cumming, about 20 miles from Gainesville.Ìý
Converting "The Auburn Castle" into a commercial property, such as a B&B, was also discussed, Connelly said. However, code requirements and other concerns led him to decide on keeping it a private residence. For that reason, he continued, he won't qualify for much of the public and private funding made available to most .
However, Connelly has found a windfall of support from the community.
Since posting about his project on a new , as well as , Connelly has been buoyed by the chorus of Auburnians past and present who want to see the house restored. Some have even stopped by the property to share their stories with him, such as the family whose grandmother came from Ireland to work for the Laurie family.
At the top of the project's Facebook page are two five-star reviews of Connelly's efforts to save "The Auburn Castle" — the authors' names are Laurie and Pastushan.
"This was my dream," Connelly said. "I'm just fortunate I have the support to do it."Â
On the web
For more information about "The Auburn Castle," as well as updates on its restoration, visit .
- Christopher Sciria
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An Auburn contractor faces multiple felony charges after a New York State Police investigation.
Frank L. Gaglianese, owner of Gaglianese Underground LLC, was charged on Wednesday afternoon with two felony counts of third-degree insurance fraud, two felony counts of third-degree grand larceny, two felony counts of first-degree falsifying business records and a misdemeanor count of third-degree falsely reporting an incident.
Gaglianese was arraigned in the Town of Sennett Court and was released on his own recognizance.
Gaglianese's attorney Rome Canzano said his client is cooperating with authorities.
"Frank Gaglianese is a long established contractor in this community, who is known mostly for his great generosity," Canzano said. "He participated in this investigation stemming from claims made in 2016 and denies any wrongdoing whatsoever. He looks forward to exploring the charges against him and resolving these claims."
- Robert Harding
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New York legislators want security improvements in the aftermath of assaults by inmates targeting correctional officers in prisons across the state.Ìý
The reported attacks highlighted by the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association have occurred at medium and maximum security facilities.Ìý
At Five Points Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Seneca County, an officer who was attacked by an inmate sustained a facial fracture and separated shoulder.Ìý
An officer at Downstate Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Fishkill, was attacked by an inmate. The guard needed several sutures due to injuries to his face.Ìý
Mike Mazzella, NYSCOPBA's vice president for the Mid-Hudson region, accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision of ignoring the violent inmate-on-officer attacks.Ìý
Mazzella said Cuomo and DOCCS "seem to turn a blind eye." He called for arming correctional officers with pepper spray and other tools to ensure their safety.Ìý
This week, NYSCOPBA reported an assault targeting a female officer at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Oneida County. An inmate who's a convicted rapist attacked the officer while she was in the officer's station.Ìý
State Sen. Pam Helming, who represents six counties in the Finger Lakes region and serves on the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee, said she's "deeply troubled" by the recent attacks on officers.Ìý
"These attacks come at a time when money is being spent to provide inmates with 'extra comforts' such as computer tablets," Helming, R-Canandaigua, said. "It's time to stop this type of spending and put it towards increasing prison safety for our guards. Limited manpower leaves (officers) at risk and exposed."Â
NYSCOPBA has long pushed for increased staffing and resources in state prisons. Three Republican assemblymen, including Assemblyman Gary Finch, said shutting down prisons across the state created a more dangerous environment in existing facilities.Ìý
Finch, R-Springport, and his colleagues noted that there were 760 assaults on correctional officers in 2016, up 45 percent from 2012.Ìý
"These numbers are simply unacceptable," the legislators said. "These brave men and women are on the front lines of public safety. Their job is inherently dangerous. As a society, it is unconscionable that we would make their job even more hazardous because we weren't willing to provide them with needed resources."Â
DOCCS has repeatedly said that the decision to close prisons — 13 facilities have been closed since 2011 — is due to a reduced number of inmates who commit drug and other nonviolent offenses. The reduction has allowed the agency to eliminate approximately 5,500 underutilized prison beds and save taxpayers $162 million.Ìý
Since 1999, the overall prison population has decreased from 72,600 to 51,380 today.Ìý
DOCCS also touted several security initiatives that have been implemented in recent years, including training for staff, de-escalation tactics and a pepper spray program. The agency said these initiatives have helped reduce assaults on staff by 15 percent and staff-related injures attributed to assaults by inmates have declined by 23 percent.Ìý
The state has invested in Cellsense, which detects contraband and other technology, such as heartbeat detectors and thermal imaging devices. Fixed cameras are being installed in facilities across the state and the department is unveiling a body camera pilot program at two prisons.Ìý
DOCCS also reiterated its commitment to appropriate staffing levels. These levels are "continuously reviewed," the agency said. Over the last two years, 268 new security jobs have been added. The agency aims to maintain an inmate-to-correction officer ratio of approximately 3-to-1.
"The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has made significant improvements enhancing the safety and security of staff and inmates in New York's correctional facilities," DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey said. "Millions of dollars have been invested in additional security staffing, technology and training, which have resulted in a dramatic decline in assaults and injures to staff. The department will continue to work closely with its hardworking staff to address any safety concerns they may have."Â
- Ë®¹ûÅÉAV staff
- Updated
An Auburn man was arrested Wednesday after an investigation revealed he allegedly had sexual contact with a young girl.Ìý
Richard C. Gould, 54, of 63 Owasco St., has been charged with first-degree sexual abuse, a class D felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.
Gould is accused of having sexual contact with a girl under the age of 11. The alleged sexual abuse occurred at Gould's residence.Ìý
Police said the victim knew Gould, but they weren't related.Ìý
Gould was arraigned in Auburn City Court and remanded to the Cayuga County Jail on $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond.Ìý
Anyone with information about Gould is asked to contact Detective Chris Coopper at (315) 255-4706.Ìý
- Megan Blarr
- Updated
AUBURN — The deputy chief of the Auburn Police Department has been suspended without pay following his weekend arrest on drunk driving charges.
Roger J. Anthony, 44, was arrested at 2:48 a.m. Saturday, April 1, after police received a 9-1-1 call of an erratic driver in the town of Aurelius, according to New York State Police. Troopers searched the area at around 2 a.m. and found Anthony's vehicle in a ditch at the intersection of Half Acre and Sevior roads.Ìý
Auburn Police Chief Shawn Butler said Anthony was off duty when his personal vehicle went slightly off the road early Saturday morning. New York State Police responded to the scene and, upon further investigation, Anthony was arrested and charged with first-offense driving while intoxicated and aggravated DWI, both misdemeanors.
Anthony — who had been driving with his wife — was issued an appearance ticket, state police said. Police confirmed that Anthony's blood alcohol content was .18 at the time of his arrest. The legal limit is .08 percent.Ìý
At a Monday afternoon press conference, Auburn City Manager Jeff Dygert and Butler announced that Anthony has been placed on unpaid suspension.
"A decision regarding Deputy Chief Anthony's discipline will depend on the outcome of his case," Dygert said. "We do take the situation very seriously and are committed to taking the appropriate action once all the facts have been collected and heard."Â
Dygert had confirmed Sunday that Anthony was arrested for drunk driving over the weekend and was initially placed on administrative leave "pending more information." Dygert had said he was waiting for some official documentation from the courts before making a decision about Anthony's pay and title.
"He has rights as a person and as an employee and we want to make sure we're dealing with things within his rights," Dygert said on Sunday.
Anthony has been on the police force since January 1997. In 2000, he was assigned to the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force as a narcotics investigator. He was .
"I can tell you that Deputy Chief Anthony has a stellar 20-year career with our department with zero disciplinary issues in the past," Butler said Monday. "I would ask that people look at the totality of what he has given to this community. ... I just don't want the one mistake that he made to overshadow the good work that he's done."Â
At this time, Butler said he has not named an interim deputy chief, choosing to take on many of Anthony's duties himself while reallocating some responsibilities to other members of the department.Ìý
Meanwhile, Anthony's defense attorney Rome Canzano said the case will be heard in Aurelius Town Court. Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann said he will apply for a special prosecutor to handle the case.Ìý
"I think Deputy Chief Anthony is a valuable member of this community ... and I am certain and hopeful that this will be resolved in a way that he will be able to resume his career," Canzano said. "Hopefully he will be a better person and a better police officer following that."
If convicted, Anthony could face a maximum of one year in jail and three years probation. His next court appearance has been scheduled for 7 p.m. April 19.Ìý
- Justin Ritzel
- Updated
MORAVIA — Dustin Mondics has been through plenty over the past four-plus months.
The Moravia High School senior wanted to take a moment and thank those who kept him alive.
Volunteers from the Moravia Fire Department worked for roughly 30 mins to remove Mondics from his vehicle after being involved in a crash with a tractor trailer on Dec. 27. Mondics was then airlifted to Upstate University Hospital and underwent a bevy of surgeries for the injuries he sustained.Ìý
While he's still recovering from the accident, Mondics is now able to move around with the assistance of a walker after predominantly using a wheelchair to get around. A member of the Moravia varsity boys basketball team, Mondics sat among his teammates and took part in the celebration as the Blue Devils captured their first state championship in March.
The Moravia community rallied around Mondics during his recuperation; a benefit at the Betty Blue Tavern in Moravia was held on Jan. 29 to raise money for Mondics' medical expenses, while an auction benefit is scheduled for Saturday, April 8.
A GoFundMe page that was created following the accident has raised $23,450 as of Thursday.
While visiting the Moravia Volunteer Fire Company, Mondics offered his appreciation.
"Everybody has been thanking me for the inspiration ..." Mondics said to the Moravia Fire Department volunteers. " ... But really they should be thanking you."
For a job that more often than not yields disappointing endings, seeing Mondics provides a lift for the Moravia volunteers who make themselves constantly available while receiving no monetary compensation.
"It means a lot," said Fritz Hess, a 20-year veteran. "We as a team did what we had to do, used our training and background, and it means the world to see someone come through after what he's gone through.
"That's all the thanks you really need."
Added Mark Strong, who has been a volunteer for 25 years, "To have him come down here and just to walk through the door, after being at the accident and seeing the accident, is nothing short of a miracle."
Removing Mondics from his battered vehicle took the effort of each of the 19 individuals that responded that day, where every available volunteer put their training to work. When Hess got the call regarding the accident, he was feeding his children breakfast and getting ready for the day, while Strong was preparing to work out with his son Justin.Ìý
"I turned to my wife and said, "I've got to go,'" Hess said. "I jumped in the first truck here, and you get there and you're like, "whoa.' I broke down and lost it on scene."
In a situation like Mondics' each second matters as the volunteers must remove the injured person from the vehicle so they can receive the necessary medical attention.
"You always hear they talk about about the 'golden hour,'" Strong said. "If you get a patient extricated from the situation within an hour, they stand a fighting chance. That just pounds home the training and the things they tell you. You think that's stuff you just read out of a book, but it's true. That kid is living proof of it."
Even months after the accident as Mondics continues his recovery, his presence as he thanked members of the Moravia fire department stirred plenty of emotions.
"It's hard," Strong said. "I've seen a lot and I know Fritz has seen a lot, and you don't see that very often ... not often enough. When he came in and was talking it chokes you up. It means the world to us and this firehouse means the world to us.
"Him going to the basketball games and him winning the state championship, that's all from the man upstairs. It all happened for a reason. It's a privilege to see him walk through the doors."
- Megan Blarr
- Updated
AUBURN — An Auburn man has admitted attacking two gas station employees with a baseball bat in Cayuga County.Ìý
Ian D. McMahon, of 20 Thornton Ave. Apt. 412, was arrested Jan. 7, 2017 after .Ìý
According to the Auburn Police Department, the 31-year-old assaulted the women with an aluminum baseball bat shortly after 10 a.m. Police said McMahon had confronted one of the employees after he was kicked out of the store earlier that day. He then assaulted the second employee after she tried to prevent him from hitting the first.
McMahon was eventually disarmed by a customer who held him at the gas station until police arrived. Both women were taken to Auburn Community Hospital with arm, hand and back injuries.Ìý
Police charged McMahon with three felonies: two counts of second-degree assault and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. However, in Cayuga County criminal court Tuesday, District Attorney Jon Budelmann let him plead guilty to criminal possession of a weapon, a class D felony, in full satisfaction of the charges.Ìý
McMahon could face up to seven years in prison, but Judge Mark Fandrich agreed to sentence him to a range of either one to three years or 1 1/3 to four years in prison. McMahon's sentencing has been scheduled for June 6.Ìý
Also in court:Â
• A Weedsport man was sentenced to prison Tuesday for stealing a compressor from a shed in Cayuga County.Ìý
Jacob Pratt, 24, of 3688 E. Brutus St., was arrested in October 2016 and charged with third-degree burglary, a class D felony.
According to the district attorney, Pratt pleaded guilty in February, admitting he stole the equipment from a neighbor's shed to support a heroin addiction. In addition, Budelmann said Pratt was on probation at the time for petit larceny.Ìý
"Community supervision just hasn't worked for him," Budelmann said in court.Ìý
Judge Fandrich agreed, sentencing Pratt to one to three years in prison. Fandrich also included a shock camp order to ensure Pratt is able to participate in substance abuse treatment while incarcerated.Ìý
• An Auburn man was sentenced to prison Tuesday for selling narcotics in Cayuga County.Ìý
Michael Covert, of 18 Grant St., pleaded guilty in December 2016 to fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, both felonies. At the time, the 42-year-old admitted selling diazepam and hydrocodone in January and May of 2015.Ìý
A second felony offender, Covert was previously convicted of two felonies and four misdemeanors. He was sentenced Tuesday to 2 1/2 years in prison followed by two years post-release supervision.Ìý
• An Auburn woman pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance for selling narcotics in Cayuga County.Ìý
Tracie Murphy, 42, of 38 Holley St., was initially charged with third-degree criminal sale and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, but Budelmann allowed her to plead guilty Tuesday to one of the charges.Ìý
During her plea, Murphy admitted to selling three oxycodone pills to someone in Auburn in July 2015.Ìý
Murphy could face up to nine years in prison and two years post-release supervision, but Fandrich agreed to sentence her to no worse than one to three years in prison with a shock camp order. He will also consider a term of shock probation.
Murphy is scheduled to be sentenced June 6.Ìý
- David Wilcox
- Updated
AUBURN — You know Peter Basile.
Maybe you know him as the man holding court at Dunkin' Donuts, greeting customers between sips of black coffee.ÌýMaybe you know him as the regular marcher in Auburn's Memorial Day parade, flag jubilantly in hand. Or maybe you know him as the surprisingly graceful skater at Reva Rollerdrome, from the time he was  until the rink  almost 70 years later.Ìý
If you don't know where you've seen Peter Basile, though, you know what you've seen on his gently scrunched face: a smile. And you know that you couldn't help smiling back.
Peter's nephew, Rob, is counting on those smiles this week as his uncle turns 75. On Friday, April 7 — two days after Peter's April 5 birthday — a ceremony will take place at Memorial City Hall where Mayor Michael Quill will read a proclamation honoring the Auburn mainstay.
Then, at Curley's Restaurant, an after-party will be held where guests can talk with Peter and share stories about him for a documentary Rob is making about his uncle and his stature in the Auburn community. It's hard to get the stories out of Peter, Rob said, but he expects many of the people Peter has touched will be happy to tell them April 7.
"You can't go anywhere in Auburn without running into somebody that knows Peter," Rob said. "He's just a fixture of this community."
It's hard to get those stories out of Peter because he has an intellectual disability. The umbilical cord connecting him to his mother, Catherine, was wrapped around Peter's neck at birth, depriving his brain of oxygen. It being the 1940s, Catherine and Peter's father, Tony, didn't understand the disability that resulted as they raised their son on Kensington Avenue on Auburn's west end.
Peter thrived on the skating rink, as well as the Arc of Seneca Cayuga's  and Camp Columbus, but he struggled in an Auburn school district unprepared for his disability. So he was institutionalized. Peter spent 10 years spanning his late teens to his early 20s at Newark State School, where he was prescribed medication for mood swings that he continues to take today.Ìý
By then, Peter had been given a nickname: "Crazy Pete."
Rob, now 48, "was almost embarrassed" by the name as he grew up the oldest of three to Anthony, Pete's brother, and Bonnie Basile. By his teens, though, Rob defended his uncle. Today, he sees "Crazy Pete" as a badge of honor. Though the Basiles didn't understand Peter's disability back then, Rob does now — and he also believes he understands why it leads some to call his uncle "crazy."
"The more stories people tell me about 'Crazy Pete,' it seems more like it derives from his happiness," Rob said. "They say, 'Pete, you're crazy! Why are you always happy?'"
Peter returned to Auburn on weekends during his treatment in Newark. Once it ended, he was cared for by his mother. Meanwhile, Rob saw his uncle on holidays, then less frequently after he enlisted in the Marine Corps and, later, relocated to southern New Jersey.
By 1980, Peter's mother had reached retirement age. Wishing for her son to receive attentive care and continue his Arc of Seneca Cayuga programs while she wintered in Florida, Catherine sought a new home for Peter through the state Office of Mental Health's . She found one in Pat and Jim Burns, of Port Byron. They "treated Peter like a family member," Rob said.
Peter stayed in the Burns home until 2008, three years after Jim  away.ÌýA second Port Byron family didn't work out. Then, in 2015, Catherine  at the age of 96.Ìý
That was when Rob and his uncle became closer.
"All I have is Pete," said Rob, whose own parents have passed away as well. "He's kind of my responsibility."
Peter lived with Rob in New Jersey for a few months. Though he returns there for summers and holidays, Peter was never home in New Jersey, Rob said. He recalled a time he took his uncle skating there. After half an hour of greeting people at the rink, Peter grew frustrated because he wasn't being greeted back — not like he was at Reva Rollerdrome.
So Rob searched for another Family Care home for his uncle. And, four weeks ago, Peter moved into the Elbridge home of Karen Dye.
Thursday at the Genesee Street Dunkin' Donuts, as Peter asked customers his signature "You know me?" and many responded in the affirmative, Dye said "it's been great" hosting Peter so far.
He's the second Family Care guest for Dye. Her son Kenneth, 37, also has an intellectual disability. After Dye retired from running a landscaping company due to arthritis, her daughter suggested Dye apply the knowhow she developed raising Kenneth to working in human services. Her first guest was Esther, who passed away in January after seven years at Dye's home.
Esther's passing followed a year in which Dye also lost her mother and her husband, the latter to the same cancer that would claim Esther.
"I thought I didn't want to do this anymore," Dye said. "Then they bring me Peter, and I just loved him."
Dye said raising Kenneth mostly prepared her for her new guest. One has to have a sense of humor, she said, like when Peter tells people in Dunkin' Donuts that he was brought there by "the lady." Peter also has some anxiety. For instance, Dye can't tell him they're going out for ice cream in a week — he'll ask if they're going every day until they do. So she has to tell him right before they go.
Still, no amount of human services experience could prepare Dye for one part of hosting Peter: the people who, indeed, know him.
Whether it's diners at Smitty's Fish House or strangers tapping on Dye's window while she's pumping gas, Peter gets so much attention in public that she sometimes feels like a celebrity's chauffeur, she said. He's even been greeted by audience members at the Movie Tavern in Camillus and, at Waterloo Premium Outlets, a retired Auburn police officer now working as a security guard there.
From Elbridge, Peter comes to Auburn two or three times a week. He used to come more often, but Rob said his uncle learned to enjoy staying home when he was in New Jersey. Now, Dye said, he'll sit in her home listening to Bing Crosby on her record player, humming, singing and then dancing along.
When Peter does come to Auburn, he spends much of his time with Sam Giangreco, a skills enhancement specialist III with the .
Giangreco said he's known Peter all his life, but never thought he'd be working with him. Through the Arc's Senior Styles program, Giangreco teaches Peter everyday life skills and escorts him around the community. They also volunteer together, pushing wheelchairs to the beauty salon at The Commons on St. Anthony, cleaning the pews of Holy Family Church and more.
Every time Giangreco coughs, he said, Peter will touch his shoulder and ask, "You OK, Sammy?"
"It's a hoot," Giangreco said. "He watches over me like I watch over him."
After 75 years of walking, biking and skating all over Auburn, Peter "is in better shape than most people I know," Giangreco said.ÌýHis neatly pressed pants hide legs as sturdy as those of a piano.
Molly Swartwood, a  through the state Office of Mental Health, has seen Peter for almost 12 years. You'd never know he's 75 not only because of the shape he's in, Swartwood said, but the cheer he shows. Every time she sees Peter he boastfully asks, "Are you gonna take my blood pressure?" She usually tells him she doesn't need to.
When it comes to Peter's care, Swartwood said, Rob is "extremely involved and wonderful." And with people like her and Giangreco watching out for Peter, Rob can rest easy despite his distance.
"Auburn has always looked out for him," he said. "Having his disability, we've never feared Peter walking around Auburn or people mistreating him."
Rob hopes his documentary can do justice to the bond Peter shares with his community. He's  B-roll, and plans to shoot Peter in his Auburn element — Doubledays games at Falcon Park, Mass at Sacred Heart Church and more — this summer. Rob's cousin Joe Graceffo, also of Auburn and now living in Napa, California, will help produce and release it — probably online, Rob said.
With that project, as well as Friday's proclamation honoring Peter, Rob said he won't be offended by anyone continuing to call his uncle "Crazy Pete." That's just how some people know him, he said.
Asked about his nickname, though, Peter has his own opinion: "No. Peter."
More like this...
- David Wilcox
Fingerlakes Mall is for sale.Ìý
New York City brokerage firm Eastern Consolidated has listed the Aurelius shopping center on and commercial real estate marketplace with an asking price of $7 million.
The mall is owned by Sam Abram, CEO of New York City wholesaler Siba Corporation. He is the mall's since it opened in 1980.
´¡²ú°ù²¹³¾Ìý the mall for $27 million in 2006. With the then-recent addition of outdoors retailer and a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes with Cayuga County that projected the mall's value would soar from $4.6 to $25 million by 2019, Abram called the mall an "attractive purchase."
But the mall's value stagnated. Shortly after Abram's purchase, its  began declining due to a mix of the Great Recession, consumer habits shifting away from shopping malls and, according to some former tenants, . More than 20 national tenants, including anchors and , have left the mall since 2008.
According to , the mall's market value is $4,651,163 as of 2016.
That year, the mall added area retailers through a new program, , and continued aggressively in its empty storefronts. Eastern Consolidated says in the 492,592-square-foot mall's that it now has an occupancy rate of 69 percent. The firm projects a net operating income of $540,693 for prospective owners.
"(The mall) represents a tremendous opportunity to redevelop a large-scale property at a strategic crossroads in the (Finger Lakes) as either a reconceived shopping destination and experience or as a completely new use," Eastern Consolidated says in the property's . The firm describes itself as being "at the forefront of transactions that define the New York City skyline."
Eastern Consolidated Director Michael Hunter Coghill told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV Tuesday that Siba contracted the firm to sell the mall about two months ago. He could not immediately provide further comment.
Rene Patterson, the mall's of two and a half years, declined comment. Siba did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- Gwendolyn Craig
AUBURN — A woman found dead in the Owasco River Sunday evening has been identified as 47-year-old Sherry L. Stephenson of Auburn, the Auburn Police Department said.
Police are still investigating the circumstances of Stephenson's death, but they said there was no foul play, and there is nothing suspicious at this time.Ìý
Auburn police officers responded to reports of a woman in the Owasco River near the North Division Street bridge at around 7 p.m. Sunday. The Auburn Fire Department's Swift Water Rescue Team and the Onondaga County Sheriff Department's Air 1 helicopter assisted in the operation.
The woman's body was removed from the Owasco River at about 8:15 p.m. near the Aurelius Avenue bridge.
During the search and rescue attempt, the swift water rescue crews were stationed along the river's embankments surveying the rushing currents. The APD used caution tape to block off areas at the North Division Street bridge and again down at the Aurelius Avenue bridge. The helicopter dispatched to the scene circled the river.Ìý
Crews could be seen sliding down an embankment just beyond the Aurelius Avenue bridge. Flashlights and a beam from the helicopter illuminated the increasingly darkening waters.
Anyone with information about the incident should contact Investigator Mark Schafer at (315) 252-5874 or (315) 253-3231. Callers may remain anonymous.
- David Wilcox
AUBURN — Patrick Collier Connelly was sold by the time he got to the staircase.Ìý
The Scipio native was looking for a summer house in the Cayuga County area in May when someone posted a picture on his Facebook page with the words, "You should buy this house haha."
The house: 45 Owasco St. However, it's not known as a house, but as a castle — "The Auburn Castle." And after closing on it Wednesday, Connelly is its new king.
Built in 1870, the 3,400-square-foot Gothic revival structure began as the home of Auburn Woolen Mill Superintendent Samuel Laurie and his family.
Auburn woman , who's helping Connelly fill in the history of the house, said the mill built the house specifically for Laurie. Then living in Rhode Island, the Scotland native sought some incentive to move to Auburn and take the superintendent job there.
"He had made a comment that he wanted a house built like a Scottish manor, like a castle, and they did just that," DeJoy-Genkos said.
The house was designed by Nelson Hamblin, who also worked on the Faatz-Crofut Home for the Elderly and the . It also sports masonry by Henry Smith Cragg Sweeting, whose roughcast bricklaying bears some resemblance to his work on in Rutherford, New Jersey.
When Laurie passed away in 1895, DeJoy-Genkos said, he was succeeded as the head of the household by several mill superintendents: Thomas Clark (1895-1926), Henry Buttery (1926), Howard Wood (1926-1928) and Joseph Booth (1928-1929). Then, through an intermediary, "The Auburn Castle" was sold to the Pastushan family.
While living in the red brick Owasco Street house, Nicholas and Mary Pastushan expanded its neighboring carriage house into an auto painting shop and gas station, Quick as a Wink Oil Co., in the 1930s. They claimed to be the oldest active car pinstripers in New York state by the time Nicholas passed in 1969 and Mary in 1983.
The Pastushans left the house to their daughter Virginia, DeJoy-Genkos said. Like her parents and the Auburn Woolen Mill superintendents before them, Virginia and her husband, the late Vernon Dewey, didn't alter the house much. Virginia left it a few years ago, and now resides at the Auburn Rehab and Nursing Center.
"The Auburn Castle" was on the market for less than a month when realtor Todd Post was contacted by Connelly in May.Ìý
Touring the house through a video call with Post, Connelly said he agreed to buy it by the time the realtor got to the curving stairway just feet away from the main entrance. Though the nearly 150-year-old structure will need a new roof, electrical work, plumbing, heating and more, Connelly continued, he was sold on the beauty of its unaltered bones.
"It needs everything, but it's structurally sound," he said. "It's a castle. It was built to last."
Connelly had been living in Gainesville, Georgia, for 23 years, running a chandelier cleaning and restoration business, when he began looking for a summer home near his central New York birthplace. With three children, four grandchildren, five brothers and a sister, he mainly wanted "a place where all the family can meet," he said.
When Connelly bought "The Auburn Castle," however, his project became bigger than that.
Restoring the house will take approximately five years, he said. Though he purchased it for about $40,000, it comes with a price tag of up to 10 times that amount in renovation work. Connelly also purchased the neighboring millhouse, which he'll repair and then reside in while completing the castle's restoration.Ìý
Like the house's previous occupants, Connelly doesn't plan to change "The Auburn Castle." He wants to be "as original as possible" in restoring its four main bedrooms and two servants' quarters, one bathroom, a library, a parlor, a kitchen with a butler's pantry and its own stairway, and the rest of the red brick house.
Andrew Roblee, of Auburn, led a day of work on the house in October with Cornell graduate students in the university's chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology. The students repaired some windows and counterweight systems in the walls that day, and Roblee continues to provide Connelly advice, he said.
Roblee supports the house's restoration because it's significant not only architecturally, he said, but economically. As the vantage from which Laurie and other Auburn Woolen Mill superintendents looked over its operations, it represents a more industrious time in Auburn's history.
"It's unlike anything else in the city or anything even in the region," Roblee said of the house. "The whole configuration of the building and the building style is really significant and very interesting. It's not something you expect to see in that neighborhood."
As for the carriage house, Connelly plans to strip the Pastushans' 20th-century additions from it and convert the structure into an antique shop. He may operate it with his partner in Two Old Dogs, a similar shop Connelly owns in Cumming, about 20 miles from Gainesville.Ìý
Converting "The Auburn Castle" into a commercial property, such as a B&B, was also discussed, Connelly said. However, code requirements and other concerns led him to decide on keeping it a private residence. For that reason, he continued, he won't qualify for much of the public and private funding made available to most .
However, Connelly has found a windfall of support from the community.
Since posting about his project on a new , as well as , Connelly has been buoyed by the chorus of Auburnians past and present who want to see the house restored. Some have even stopped by the property to share their stories with him, such as the family whose grandmother came from Ireland to work for the Laurie family.
At the top of the project's Facebook page are two five-star reviews of Connelly's efforts to save "The Auburn Castle" — the authors' names are Laurie and Pastushan.
"This was my dream," Connelly said. "I'm just fortunate I have the support to do it."Â
On the web
For more information about "The Auburn Castle," as well as updates on its restoration, visit .
- Christopher Sciria
An Auburn contractor faces multiple felony charges after a New York State Police investigation.
Frank L. Gaglianese, owner of Gaglianese Underground LLC, was charged on Wednesday afternoon with two felony counts of third-degree insurance fraud, two felony counts of third-degree grand larceny, two felony counts of first-degree falsifying business records and a misdemeanor count of third-degree falsely reporting an incident.
Gaglianese was arraigned in the Town of Sennett Court and was released on his own recognizance.
Gaglianese's attorney Rome Canzano said his client is cooperating with authorities.
"Frank Gaglianese is a long established contractor in this community, who is known mostly for his great generosity," Canzano said. "He participated in this investigation stemming from claims made in 2016 and denies any wrongdoing whatsoever. He looks forward to exploring the charges against him and resolving these claims."
- Robert Harding
New York legislators want security improvements in the aftermath of assaults by inmates targeting correctional officers in prisons across the state.Ìý
The reported attacks highlighted by the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association have occurred at medium and maximum security facilities.Ìý
At Five Points Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Seneca County, an officer who was attacked by an inmate sustained a facial fracture and separated shoulder.Ìý
An officer at Downstate Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Fishkill, was attacked by an inmate. The guard needed several sutures due to injuries to his face.Ìý
Mike Mazzella, NYSCOPBA's vice president for the Mid-Hudson region, accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision of ignoring the violent inmate-on-officer attacks.Ìý
Mazzella said Cuomo and DOCCS "seem to turn a blind eye." He called for arming correctional officers with pepper spray and other tools to ensure their safety.Ìý
This week, NYSCOPBA reported an assault targeting a female officer at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Oneida County. An inmate who's a convicted rapist attacked the officer while she was in the officer's station.Ìý
State Sen. Pam Helming, who represents six counties in the Finger Lakes region and serves on the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee, said she's "deeply troubled" by the recent attacks on officers.Ìý
"These attacks come at a time when money is being spent to provide inmates with 'extra comforts' such as computer tablets," Helming, R-Canandaigua, said. "It's time to stop this type of spending and put it towards increasing prison safety for our guards. Limited manpower leaves (officers) at risk and exposed."Â
NYSCOPBA has long pushed for increased staffing and resources in state prisons. Three Republican assemblymen, including Assemblyman Gary Finch, said shutting down prisons across the state created a more dangerous environment in existing facilities.Ìý
Finch, R-Springport, and his colleagues noted that there were 760 assaults on correctional officers in 2016, up 45 percent from 2012.Ìý
"These numbers are simply unacceptable," the legislators said. "These brave men and women are on the front lines of public safety. Their job is inherently dangerous. As a society, it is unconscionable that we would make their job even more hazardous because we weren't willing to provide them with needed resources."Â
DOCCS has repeatedly said that the decision to close prisons — 13 facilities have been closed since 2011 — is due to a reduced number of inmates who commit drug and other nonviolent offenses. The reduction has allowed the agency to eliminate approximately 5,500 underutilized prison beds and save taxpayers $162 million.Ìý
Since 1999, the overall prison population has decreased from 72,600 to 51,380 today.Ìý
DOCCS also touted several security initiatives that have been implemented in recent years, including training for staff, de-escalation tactics and a pepper spray program. The agency said these initiatives have helped reduce assaults on staff by 15 percent and staff-related injures attributed to assaults by inmates have declined by 23 percent.Ìý
The state has invested in Cellsense, which detects contraband and other technology, such as heartbeat detectors and thermal imaging devices. Fixed cameras are being installed in facilities across the state and the department is unveiling a body camera pilot program at two prisons.Ìý
DOCCS also reiterated its commitment to appropriate staffing levels. These levels are "continuously reviewed," the agency said. Over the last two years, 268 new security jobs have been added. The agency aims to maintain an inmate-to-correction officer ratio of approximately 3-to-1.
"The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has made significant improvements enhancing the safety and security of staff and inmates in New York's correctional facilities," DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey said. "Millions of dollars have been invested in additional security staffing, technology and training, which have resulted in a dramatic decline in assaults and injures to staff. The department will continue to work closely with its hardworking staff to address any safety concerns they may have."Â
- Ë®¹ûÅÉAV staff
An Auburn man was arrested Wednesday after an investigation revealed he allegedly had sexual contact with a young girl.Ìý
Richard C. Gould, 54, of 63 Owasco St., has been charged with first-degree sexual abuse, a class D felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.
Gould is accused of having sexual contact with a girl under the age of 11. The alleged sexual abuse occurred at Gould's residence.Ìý
Police said the victim knew Gould, but they weren't related.Ìý
Gould was arraigned in Auburn City Court and remanded to the Cayuga County Jail on $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond.Ìý
Anyone with information about Gould is asked to contact Detective Chris Coopper at (315) 255-4706.Ìý
- Megan Blarr
AUBURN — The deputy chief of the Auburn Police Department has been suspended without pay following his weekend arrest on drunk driving charges.
Roger J. Anthony, 44, was arrested at 2:48 a.m. Saturday, April 1, after police received a 9-1-1 call of an erratic driver in the town of Aurelius, according to New York State Police. Troopers searched the area at around 2 a.m. and found Anthony's vehicle in a ditch at the intersection of Half Acre and Sevior roads.Ìý
Auburn Police Chief Shawn Butler said Anthony was off duty when his personal vehicle went slightly off the road early Saturday morning. New York State Police responded to the scene and, upon further investigation, Anthony was arrested and charged with first-offense driving while intoxicated and aggravated DWI, both misdemeanors.
Anthony — who had been driving with his wife — was issued an appearance ticket, state police said. Police confirmed that Anthony's blood alcohol content was .18 at the time of his arrest. The legal limit is .08 percent.Ìý
At a Monday afternoon press conference, Auburn City Manager Jeff Dygert and Butler announced that Anthony has been placed on unpaid suspension.
"A decision regarding Deputy Chief Anthony's discipline will depend on the outcome of his case," Dygert said. "We do take the situation very seriously and are committed to taking the appropriate action once all the facts have been collected and heard."Â
Dygert had confirmed Sunday that Anthony was arrested for drunk driving over the weekend and was initially placed on administrative leave "pending more information." Dygert had said he was waiting for some official documentation from the courts before making a decision about Anthony's pay and title.
"He has rights as a person and as an employee and we want to make sure we're dealing with things within his rights," Dygert said on Sunday.
Anthony has been on the police force since January 1997. In 2000, he was assigned to the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force as a narcotics investigator. He was .
"I can tell you that Deputy Chief Anthony has a stellar 20-year career with our department with zero disciplinary issues in the past," Butler said Monday. "I would ask that people look at the totality of what he has given to this community. ... I just don't want the one mistake that he made to overshadow the good work that he's done."Â
At this time, Butler said he has not named an interim deputy chief, choosing to take on many of Anthony's duties himself while reallocating some responsibilities to other members of the department.Ìý
Meanwhile, Anthony's defense attorney Rome Canzano said the case will be heard in Aurelius Town Court. Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann said he will apply for a special prosecutor to handle the case.Ìý
"I think Deputy Chief Anthony is a valuable member of this community ... and I am certain and hopeful that this will be resolved in a way that he will be able to resume his career," Canzano said. "Hopefully he will be a better person and a better police officer following that."
If convicted, Anthony could face a maximum of one year in jail and three years probation. His next court appearance has been scheduled for 7 p.m. April 19.Ìý
- Justin Ritzel
MORAVIA — Dustin Mondics has been through plenty over the past four-plus months.
The Moravia High School senior wanted to take a moment and thank those who kept him alive.
Volunteers from the Moravia Fire Department worked for roughly 30 mins to remove Mondics from his vehicle after being involved in a crash with a tractor trailer on Dec. 27. Mondics was then airlifted to Upstate University Hospital and underwent a bevy of surgeries for the injuries he sustained.Ìý
While he's still recovering from the accident, Mondics is now able to move around with the assistance of a walker after predominantly using a wheelchair to get around. A member of the Moravia varsity boys basketball team, Mondics sat among his teammates and took part in the celebration as the Blue Devils captured their first state championship in March.
The Moravia community rallied around Mondics during his recuperation; a benefit at the Betty Blue Tavern in Moravia was held on Jan. 29 to raise money for Mondics' medical expenses, while an auction benefit is scheduled for Saturday, April 8.
A GoFundMe page that was created following the accident has raised $23,450 as of Thursday.
While visiting the Moravia Volunteer Fire Company, Mondics offered his appreciation.
"Everybody has been thanking me for the inspiration ..." Mondics said to the Moravia Fire Department volunteers. " ... But really they should be thanking you."
For a job that more often than not yields disappointing endings, seeing Mondics provides a lift for the Moravia volunteers who make themselves constantly available while receiving no monetary compensation.
"It means a lot," said Fritz Hess, a 20-year veteran. "We as a team did what we had to do, used our training and background, and it means the world to see someone come through after what he's gone through.
"That's all the thanks you really need."
Added Mark Strong, who has been a volunteer for 25 years, "To have him come down here and just to walk through the door, after being at the accident and seeing the accident, is nothing short of a miracle."
Removing Mondics from his battered vehicle took the effort of each of the 19 individuals that responded that day, where every available volunteer put their training to work. When Hess got the call regarding the accident, he was feeding his children breakfast and getting ready for the day, while Strong was preparing to work out with his son Justin.Ìý
"I turned to my wife and said, "I've got to go,'" Hess said. "I jumped in the first truck here, and you get there and you're like, "whoa.' I broke down and lost it on scene."
In a situation like Mondics' each second matters as the volunteers must remove the injured person from the vehicle so they can receive the necessary medical attention.
"You always hear they talk about about the 'golden hour,'" Strong said. "If you get a patient extricated from the situation within an hour, they stand a fighting chance. That just pounds home the training and the things they tell you. You think that's stuff you just read out of a book, but it's true. That kid is living proof of it."
Even months after the accident as Mondics continues his recovery, his presence as he thanked members of the Moravia fire department stirred plenty of emotions.
"It's hard," Strong said. "I've seen a lot and I know Fritz has seen a lot, and you don't see that very often ... not often enough. When he came in and was talking it chokes you up. It means the world to us and this firehouse means the world to us.
"Him going to the basketball games and him winning the state championship, that's all from the man upstairs. It all happened for a reason. It's a privilege to see him walk through the doors."
- Megan Blarr
AUBURN — An Auburn man has admitted attacking two gas station employees with a baseball bat in Cayuga County.Ìý
Ian D. McMahon, of 20 Thornton Ave. Apt. 412, was arrested Jan. 7, 2017 after .Ìý
According to the Auburn Police Department, the 31-year-old assaulted the women with an aluminum baseball bat shortly after 10 a.m. Police said McMahon had confronted one of the employees after he was kicked out of the store earlier that day. He then assaulted the second employee after she tried to prevent him from hitting the first.
McMahon was eventually disarmed by a customer who held him at the gas station until police arrived. Both women were taken to Auburn Community Hospital with arm, hand and back injuries.Ìý
Police charged McMahon with three felonies: two counts of second-degree assault and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. However, in Cayuga County criminal court Tuesday, District Attorney Jon Budelmann let him plead guilty to criminal possession of a weapon, a class D felony, in full satisfaction of the charges.Ìý
McMahon could face up to seven years in prison, but Judge Mark Fandrich agreed to sentence him to a range of either one to three years or 1 1/3 to four years in prison. McMahon's sentencing has been scheduled for June 6.Ìý
Also in court:Â
• A Weedsport man was sentenced to prison Tuesday for stealing a compressor from a shed in Cayuga County.Ìý
Jacob Pratt, 24, of 3688 E. Brutus St., was arrested in October 2016 and charged with third-degree burglary, a class D felony.
According to the district attorney, Pratt pleaded guilty in February, admitting he stole the equipment from a neighbor's shed to support a heroin addiction. In addition, Budelmann said Pratt was on probation at the time for petit larceny.Ìý
"Community supervision just hasn't worked for him," Budelmann said in court.Ìý
Judge Fandrich agreed, sentencing Pratt to one to three years in prison. Fandrich also included a shock camp order to ensure Pratt is able to participate in substance abuse treatment while incarcerated.Ìý
• An Auburn man was sentenced to prison Tuesday for selling narcotics in Cayuga County.Ìý
Michael Covert, of 18 Grant St., pleaded guilty in December 2016 to fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, both felonies. At the time, the 42-year-old admitted selling diazepam and hydrocodone in January and May of 2015.Ìý
A second felony offender, Covert was previously convicted of two felonies and four misdemeanors. He was sentenced Tuesday to 2 1/2 years in prison followed by two years post-release supervision.Ìý
• An Auburn woman pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance for selling narcotics in Cayuga County.Ìý
Tracie Murphy, 42, of 38 Holley St., was initially charged with third-degree criminal sale and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, but Budelmann allowed her to plead guilty Tuesday to one of the charges.Ìý
During her plea, Murphy admitted to selling three oxycodone pills to someone in Auburn in July 2015.Ìý
Murphy could face up to nine years in prison and two years post-release supervision, but Fandrich agreed to sentence her to no worse than one to three years in prison with a shock camp order. He will also consider a term of shock probation.
Murphy is scheduled to be sentenced June 6.Ìý
- David Wilcox
AUBURN — You know Peter Basile.
Maybe you know him as the man holding court at Dunkin' Donuts, greeting customers between sips of black coffee.ÌýMaybe you know him as the regular marcher in Auburn's Memorial Day parade, flag jubilantly in hand. Or maybe you know him as the surprisingly graceful skater at Reva Rollerdrome, from the time he was  until the rink  almost 70 years later.Ìý
If you don't know where you've seen Peter Basile, though, you know what you've seen on his gently scrunched face: a smile. And you know that you couldn't help smiling back.
Peter's nephew, Rob, is counting on those smiles this week as his uncle turns 75. On Friday, April 7 — two days after Peter's April 5 birthday — a ceremony will take place at Memorial City Hall where Mayor Michael Quill will read a proclamation honoring the Auburn mainstay.
Then, at Curley's Restaurant, an after-party will be held where guests can talk with Peter and share stories about him for a documentary Rob is making about his uncle and his stature in the Auburn community. It's hard to get the stories out of Peter, Rob said, but he expects many of the people Peter has touched will be happy to tell them April 7.
"You can't go anywhere in Auburn without running into somebody that knows Peter," Rob said. "He's just a fixture of this community."
It's hard to get those stories out of Peter because he has an intellectual disability. The umbilical cord connecting him to his mother, Catherine, was wrapped around Peter's neck at birth, depriving his brain of oxygen. It being the 1940s, Catherine and Peter's father, Tony, didn't understand the disability that resulted as they raised their son on Kensington Avenue on Auburn's west end.
Peter thrived on the skating rink, as well as the Arc of Seneca Cayuga's  and Camp Columbus, but he struggled in an Auburn school district unprepared for his disability. So he was institutionalized. Peter spent 10 years spanning his late teens to his early 20s at Newark State School, where he was prescribed medication for mood swings that he continues to take today.Ìý
By then, Peter had been given a nickname: "Crazy Pete."
Rob, now 48, "was almost embarrassed" by the name as he grew up the oldest of three to Anthony, Pete's brother, and Bonnie Basile. By his teens, though, Rob defended his uncle. Today, he sees "Crazy Pete" as a badge of honor. Though the Basiles didn't understand Peter's disability back then, Rob does now — and he also believes he understands why it leads some to call his uncle "crazy."
"The more stories people tell me about 'Crazy Pete,' it seems more like it derives from his happiness," Rob said. "They say, 'Pete, you're crazy! Why are you always happy?'"
Peter returned to Auburn on weekends during his treatment in Newark. Once it ended, he was cared for by his mother. Meanwhile, Rob saw his uncle on holidays, then less frequently after he enlisted in the Marine Corps and, later, relocated to southern New Jersey.
By 1980, Peter's mother had reached retirement age. Wishing for her son to receive attentive care and continue his Arc of Seneca Cayuga programs while she wintered in Florida, Catherine sought a new home for Peter through the state Office of Mental Health's . She found one in Pat and Jim Burns, of Port Byron. They "treated Peter like a family member," Rob said.
Peter stayed in the Burns home until 2008, three years after Jim  away.ÌýA second Port Byron family didn't work out. Then, in 2015, Catherine  at the age of 96.Ìý
That was when Rob and his uncle became closer.
"All I have is Pete," said Rob, whose own parents have passed away as well. "He's kind of my responsibility."
Peter lived with Rob in New Jersey for a few months. Though he returns there for summers and holidays, Peter was never home in New Jersey, Rob said. He recalled a time he took his uncle skating there. After half an hour of greeting people at the rink, Peter grew frustrated because he wasn't being greeted back — not like he was at Reva Rollerdrome.
So Rob searched for another Family Care home for his uncle. And, four weeks ago, Peter moved into the Elbridge home of Karen Dye.
Thursday at the Genesee Street Dunkin' Donuts, as Peter asked customers his signature "You know me?" and many responded in the affirmative, Dye said "it's been great" hosting Peter so far.
He's the second Family Care guest for Dye. Her son Kenneth, 37, also has an intellectual disability. After Dye retired from running a landscaping company due to arthritis, her daughter suggested Dye apply the knowhow she developed raising Kenneth to working in human services. Her first guest was Esther, who passed away in January after seven years at Dye's home.
Esther's passing followed a year in which Dye also lost her mother and her husband, the latter to the same cancer that would claim Esther.
"I thought I didn't want to do this anymore," Dye said. "Then they bring me Peter, and I just loved him."
Dye said raising Kenneth mostly prepared her for her new guest. One has to have a sense of humor, she said, like when Peter tells people in Dunkin' Donuts that he was brought there by "the lady." Peter also has some anxiety. For instance, Dye can't tell him they're going out for ice cream in a week — he'll ask if they're going every day until they do. So she has to tell him right before they go.
Still, no amount of human services experience could prepare Dye for one part of hosting Peter: the people who, indeed, know him.
Whether it's diners at Smitty's Fish House or strangers tapping on Dye's window while she's pumping gas, Peter gets so much attention in public that she sometimes feels like a celebrity's chauffeur, she said. He's even been greeted by audience members at the Movie Tavern in Camillus and, at Waterloo Premium Outlets, a retired Auburn police officer now working as a security guard there.
From Elbridge, Peter comes to Auburn two or three times a week. He used to come more often, but Rob said his uncle learned to enjoy staying home when he was in New Jersey. Now, Dye said, he'll sit in her home listening to Bing Crosby on her record player, humming, singing and then dancing along.
When Peter does come to Auburn, he spends much of his time with Sam Giangreco, a skills enhancement specialist III with the .
Giangreco said he's known Peter all his life, but never thought he'd be working with him. Through the Arc's Senior Styles program, Giangreco teaches Peter everyday life skills and escorts him around the community. They also volunteer together, pushing wheelchairs to the beauty salon at The Commons on St. Anthony, cleaning the pews of Holy Family Church and more.
Every time Giangreco coughs, he said, Peter will touch his shoulder and ask, "You OK, Sammy?"
"It's a hoot," Giangreco said. "He watches over me like I watch over him."
After 75 years of walking, biking and skating all over Auburn, Peter "is in better shape than most people I know," Giangreco said.ÌýHis neatly pressed pants hide legs as sturdy as those of a piano.
Molly Swartwood, a  through the state Office of Mental Health, has seen Peter for almost 12 years. You'd never know he's 75 not only because of the shape he's in, Swartwood said, but the cheer he shows. Every time she sees Peter he boastfully asks, "Are you gonna take my blood pressure?" She usually tells him she doesn't need to.
When it comes to Peter's care, Swartwood said, Rob is "extremely involved and wonderful." And with people like her and Giangreco watching out for Peter, Rob can rest easy despite his distance.
"Auburn has always looked out for him," he said. "Having his disability, we've never feared Peter walking around Auburn or people mistreating him."
Rob hopes his documentary can do justice to the bond Peter shares with his community. He's  B-roll, and plans to shoot Peter in his Auburn element — Doubledays games at Falcon Park, Mass at Sacred Heart Church and more — this summer. Rob's cousin Joe Graceffo, also of Auburn and now living in Napa, California, will help produce and release it — probably online, Rob said.
With that project, as well as Friday's proclamation honoring Peter, Rob said he won't be offended by anyone continuing to call his uncle "Crazy Pete." That's just how some people know him, he said.
Asked about his nickname, though, Peter has his own opinion: "No. Peter."
