The Associated Press
Albany-area sex offender sentenced to 80 years in prison
ALBANY >> A registered sex offender from the Albany area has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for producing child p*rnography.
Federal prosecutors say 56-year-old Robert McCoy of Glenmont and Selkirk was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Albany, where he was convicted last summer of sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child p*rnography and committing a felony involving a minor while being a registered sex offender.
Authorities say McCoy produced sexually explicit images of a minor in an empty camper on his Glenmont property in the summer of 2014. Officials say he also possessed a collection of child p*rnography obtained from the Internet.
McCoy, registered as a Level 1 sex offender, was sentenced in 2009 to probation for possessing child p*rnography.
University at Buffalo gets $2.35M Alzheimer’s center grant
BUFFALO >> The University at Buffalo has been awarded a $2.35 million grant to launch a Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s disease.
The goal is to improve the screening, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
UB says the new center will work with multiple clinics and providers in western New York to help improve patient access to clinical trials as well as educate providers about non-pharmaceutical approaches, such as exercise.
The five-year grant was awarded by New York state to researchers in UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Financial planner gets prison for investment fraud
ALBANY >> Authorities say that a 59-year-old former financial planner from upstate New York has been sentenced to prison for stealing several million dollars from investors while fraudulently soliciting them to reinvest retirement money.
According to the attorney general’s office, Frederick Monroe Jr., of Queensbury, faces 5 1/3 to 16 years in prison. He pleaded guilty in December to charges including grand larceny, money laundering and securities fraud.
Investigators say he diverted clients’ money for personal use like airline tickets, credit cards and mortgage payments and to pay back earlier investors he had defrauded in a Ponzi scheme since 2002.
He was arrested in 2015, working as a senior vice president at Capital Financial Planning in Guilderland.
In Albany County Court, he signed judgments acknowledging he owes victims more than $3 million.
NYPD: Cyclist fatally struck by car, driver arrested
NEW YORK >> Police say a woman driving under the influence of drugs struck and killed a bicycle rider on Staten Island.
The accident happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Police say 59-year-old Stanley Marshal was riding a bicycle on Richmond Avenue when he was hit by a car making a left turn.
Marshal was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The driver, 52-year-old Lisa Martini, was arrested on a charge of driving while ability impaired.
It wasn’t clear whether she had a lawyer who could speak on her behalf.
Feds want judge to deny media request for bridge case filing
NEWARK, N.J. >> Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to deny a request by media organizations including The Associated Press to make public a list of unindicted coconspirators in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing case.
The media organizations went to court last month seeking the list of people prosecutors believe were involved, but not charged, in the conspiracy to close traffic lanes for political retribution in New Jersey. The list had been submitted by prosecutors to defense lawyers and the judge.
Prosecutors said in a filing Tuesday that the government often doesn’t charge every individual whom there is evidence to suggest was involved, including if there isn’t enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a separate filing that confidential and redacted documents also shouldn’t be released.
Harlem Globetrotters to fulfill dreams of NY cancer patient
LAKE PLACID >> The Harlem Globetrotters are headed to the Olympic Center in Lake Placid on Wednesday night, and they plan to fulfill the dreams of a fourth-grade girl who’s fighting brain cancer.
Before they play the World Allstars, the Globetrotters will roll out the red carpet for 10-year-old Gracee Jewtraw, of Saranac Lake. She’ll be presented with an official Harlem Globetrotters’ game jersey, and she and her brother, Noah, will watch the game from the team’s bench.
For the past year, Gracee, who is a huge basketball fan, has been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer and it had been in remission, but recently a new and different form of cancer was discovered.
Trial begins for Long Island man accused in machete killing
HEMPSTEAD >> Opening arguments have begun for a Long Island man accused of fatally striking a teenager in the neck with a machete nearly two years ago after losing a game of dice.
Prosecutors told Nassau County jurors Tuesday that David Sadler killed 17-year-old Terrence Grier Jr. when an argument broke out at a Hempstead home in July 2014.
The 47-year-old Hempstead man has pleaded not guilty to charges of second degree-murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
The defense told jurors the slaying was in self-defense as Sadler was being robbed and beaten after he won his money back.
Prosecutors say the killing was revenge- not self-defense -as Grier wasn’t holding anything at the time.
NY grandma: Sick child asking when missing dog’s coming home
NEW YORK >> A Staten Island family has been searching for a missing dog that’s helped a 5-year-old cope with a rare medical condition.
A lot of good Samaritans have also been looking for Charlie.
Linda Labetti says the little white Maltese disappeared from her home on Feb. 6.
Her grandson, Roman, has endured more than 20 surgeries for a condition that limits his physical movement. Labetti says Roman keeps asking when Charlie’s coming back.
Charlie was wearing a blue collar with his name and the family’s phone number.
A $1,000 reward is being offered for his return.
Parolee charged in fatal shooting of Elmira man last weekend
ELMIRA >> A 24-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in Elmira last weekend.
The Elmira Police Department says Lawrence Baker was arraigned Tuesday on the charges filed after 24-year-old Najee Holmes of Elmira was shot to death early Saturday morning.
Officers responding to a report of a shooting found Holmes suffering from gunshot wounds. He later died after being taken to Arnot Ogden Medical Center.
Police say a fight occurred at a home before Holmes was shot.
Baker was on parole for a drug conviction at the time of his arrest.
He’s being held in the Chemung County Jail without bail and is due back in court Friday for a preliminary hearing. It couldn’t be determined if he has a lawyer.
Court urged to reject jail phone tapes as evidence
ALBANY >> A former Riker’s Island inmate wants his taped phone calls from the New York City jail, used by prosecutors to help convict him, thrown out as evidence by the state’s highest court.
Attorney Stanley Neustadter tells the Court of Appeals the standard posted warning by the jail phones says calls are subject to monitoring and recording in accordance with corrections policy.
He says Tuesday that’s inadequate since tapes are routinely provided to prosecutors trolling for incriminating information.
Marcellus Johnson was convicted of stealing a wallet, cell phone and debit card from a drunken tourist in 2011.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Susan Axelrod says it’s no secret her office gets recordings often.
She says if a defendant makes a stupid decision, that’s his fault.
A ruling is expected next month.
Consultant gets prison in construction inspections case
NEW YORK >> Authorities say a consultant has been sentenced to prison for facilitating fraudulent safety inspections at New York City construction sites.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. says Richard Marini will spend one to three years in prison. He pleaded guilty to grand larceny in October.
The prosecutor says more than 40 active construction sites were left unchecked by qualified inspectors.
Marini advertised for interns through Craigslist and similar sites. He hired short order cooks, window treatment specialists, hotel bellhops, hairdressers, eBay vendors and a musician.
He instructed them to go to job sites and sign the safety logs. Sometimes they used the names of licensed site safety managers without their knowledge. In some instances, they used a dead person’s name.
Large sink hole shuts down Syracuse street; repairs underway
SYRACUSE >> A street in Syracuse is shut down after a 20-foot-deep sink hole opened up as the road was being salted by a city public works vehicle.
Officials say a DPW truck was salting a stretch of Milton Avenue just before 6 a.m. Wednesday when the pavement gave way. No injuries are being reported.
The street has been sealed off and crews are working to fix it.
Commissioner Pete O’Connor tells Time Warner Cable News that it’s one of the largest sinkholes he’s ever seen. He says Tuesday’s heavy rains combined with an ice buildup may have caused a sewer line under the street to break.
Last month, Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner issued another request for federal funding to repair the city’s aging infrastructure, which averages about one water main break a day.
Family seeks snow donations to help Frosty last until spring
MASSAPEQUA PARK >> A suburban New York family is seeking snow donations to help its 14-foot snowman last until spring – and some cold weather would help, too.
Members of the Fregoe family of Massapequa Park wrapped their indomitable snowman tightly in plastic before heavy rain hit Monday. Then 51-year-old Mike Fregoe climbed a ladder and planted a beach umbrella on its head.
Fregoe says the snowman survived the rain but is looking “a little thinner.”
The Fregoes crowdsourced their snowman last year by soliciting contributions of snow through Facebook. Fregoe says donated snow helped keep the snowman standing until April 20.
The family plans to rely on snow donations this year as well. Fregoe says so many people enjoy the snowman that “it makes it worthwhile.”
Court Oks contempt finding against company pirating TV shows
NEW YORK >> An appeals court in New York has upheld a judge’s contempt ruling against a company that continued streaming TV shows over the Internet after the Supreme Court outlawed the system used to do it.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. The Manhattan court rejected FilmOn.com’s claims that a judge abused his discretion by holding the company in contempt and penalizing it $90,000. The company was ordered to pay over $100,000 in legal fees.
The company, which began operating in 2010, said it was operating like a cable television company. It allowed subscribers to use computers to stream television stations over the Internet.
The appeals court said FilmOn “cavalierly doubled down” and continued copyright breaches after the Supreme Court ruled in 2014 against a competitor: Aereo Inc.
Original 1929 Oscar cast to make statuettes awarded in 2016
LOS ANGELES >> The statuettes for the upcoming Academy Awards are based on an original Oscar from 1929.
The film academy announced Tuesday that a New York foundry is restoring features of the original design to the Oscar statuettes for 2016 using digital scans and 3-D printers.
It took Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry three months to make the 50 statuettes needed for the Feb. 28 ceremony using the high-tech process. Oscar was previously made in a more traditional way by Chicago’s R.S. Owens & Company, the academy’s foundry for the past 34 years.
Oscar is still plated in 24-karat gold. Oscar’s dimensions remain the same: He’s 13 1/2-inches tall and weighs 8 1/2 pounds. And he’s still just as hard to get.
NYC-bound flight diverted twice, lands after 30 travel hours
NEW YORK >> A New York-bound flight from the Dominican Republic that was diverted to New Hampshire and Boston has arrived after about 30 hours of traveling.
The Delta flight left Punta Cana Monday afternoon and arrived in Queens around 8 p.m. Tuesday.
It had been scheduled to arrive in Queens around 6:15 p.m. Monday. Officials say inclement weather prevented it from landing and the plane was diverted to Manchester, New Hampshire.
Customs agents drove from Portland, Maine to Manchester to process the passengers. The Manchester airport doesn’t usually accept international flights. Delta says customers were provided hotel accommodations.
Officials say the Tuesday flight was then diverted to Boston due to wind and turbulence. Passengers say some people fell ill and needed oxygen.
Delta tells WHDH-TV it hasn’t made any official compensation offers.
NY mediator: Argentina makes further progress in bond deals
NEW YORK >> A court-appointed mediator in New York says Argentina has reached a settlement with bondholders seeking about 1 percent of the $10 billion being pursued by investors.
Mediator Daniel Pollack announced the deal Tuesday in the class action case. The deal came nearly two weeks after he announced two of six leading bondholders settled claims for more than $1 billion.
The announcement comes as Argentina continues negotiating with multiple groups of bondholders who had refused years ago to trade bonds at a discount, going to court instead. Argentina had created the swaps after it defaulted in 2001 on $100 billion of debt.
Attorney Jason Zweig represents the latest settling bondholders. He says class bondholders had wanted about $28 million in unpaid principal plus interest. Individual bondholders must prove they continuously held their bonds.
NYC officials denounce possible anti-terror funding cuts
NEW YORK >> Several of New York City’s top officials are joining Sen. Charles Schumer in criticizing a plan that would cut federal counterterrorism funding.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner William Bratton, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro and others denounced the White House plan on Wednesday.
The proposal would cut funding to the Urban Area Security Initiative from $600 million to $330 million.
It would trim the funding for New York City from $180 million to $90 million. The money helps offset local municipalities’ security expenditures.
Bratton called the plan “unconscionable” and said that the money was vital to keeping the city safe.
The White House had said the plan still contributes “robust funding” to combat terror.
Schumer said a vote on a Homeland Security appropriations bill would likely happen by June.
Port Authority: Keep lane-closing documents sealed
NEWARK, N.J. >> The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says in a court brief that confidential and redacted documents about the George Washington Bridge lane-closing case shouldn’t be publicly released.
The brief was filed late Tuesday in response to a request by nine news outlets to lift redactions and unseal some records, including a list of individuals who may have information about the 2013 lane closings but weren’t charged.
The Port Authority argued the documents include memos and emails about its legal representation in an unrelated matter.
Three top Christie aides were accused of orchestrating the closings to create traffic jams to punish a mayor for not endorsing Gov. Chris Christie’s re-election. One pleaded guilty last year; two have been indicted and their trial is scheduled for mid-May.
Christie hasn’t been charged.
Registered sex offender sentenced for sex with teen boy
NEWARK, N.J. >> A registered sex offender and former police officer who took a 15-year-old boy across state lines so they could engage in sexual activity is now headed back to prison.
Federal prosecutors say Jayme Shannon was sentenced Tuesday to more than 21 years.
The 53-year-old East Windsor man, a former New York City police officer, pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of a minor for illicit purposes and doing so while being a registered sex offender.
Prosecutors say Shannon met the teen in an online chat room in September 2013. A month later, he arranged to meet the boy at a Fort Lee motel.
On the day of the meeting, Shannon drove from New Jersey to New York and picked up the victim. They went to the motel and engaged in sexual conduct.
Shannon was arrested at the motel later that day
Newsman Stefan Holt joining dad Lester Holt at NBC’s 30 Rock
NEW YORK >> It’s about to be a family affair at 30 Rock for NBC News anchor Lester Holt and his son, Stefan Holt, who soon will be anchoring a weekday newscast on the network’s New York station, it was announced Tuesday.
Holt, 29, will start at WNBC in April, co-anchoring a newly launched afternoon newscast aired from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the storied NBC headquarters from where “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” originates.
Stefan Holt comes from NBC-owned Chicago outlet WMAQ, where he has been a reporter and anchor for five years. Before that, he spent three years at the ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Lester Holt joined NBC News in 2000 after 14 years in Chicago anchoring for CBS-owned WBBM. He took over “Nightly News” anchor duties from Brian Williams last year.
Great Lakes cities group opposes Waukesha water withdrawal
CHICAGO >> An organization representing more than 100 local governments is fighting an effort by Waukesha, Wisconsin, to use Lake Michigan as its drinking water source.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative sent letters of opposition Tuesday to the eight states and two Canadian provinces adjoining the lakes.
Waukesha is outside the Great Lakes’ geographical boundary but is part of a county that straddles the line. Under a regional compact, such communities can apply to withdraw water from the lakes. But permission is needed from all eight states.
Waukesha says it needs to tap Lake Michigan because its groundwater is contaminated. It promises to return as much water as it takes.
But the cities initiative says Waukesha has better alternatives and the proposed withdrawal could set a bad precedent.
Police investigate death of 1-year-old girl in Buffalo
BUFFALO >> Police say they’re investigating the death of a 1-year-old girl who had been injured inside a Buffalo home.
Officials say officers responding to an emergency call around 2:10 p.m. Tuesday found the child unresponsive in water inside the home in the city’s Black Rock neighborhood.
The girl was taken to Women and Children’s Hospital, where she died.
Police aren’t releasing where the water was in the home or how the child died. Those circ*mstances are being investigated.
An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
3-vehicle crash on New York’s Southern Tier kills woman
KANONA >> A 29-year-old woman has died in a three-car accident along New York’s Southern Tier.
State police say Vanessa Webster of Savona died early Tuesday afternoon after the accident on State Route 53 in Steuben County. Troopers say she was a passenger in a Ford pick-up truck driven by Jeffrey Vanskiver that skidded out of control, struck a sedan, and then was hit on the passenger side by an SUV.
State police say Webster was treated at the scene and then transported to Ira Davenport Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her body has been sent to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
The other occupants in the three vehicles were treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Website tracks progress of Chesapeake Bay restoration
RICHMOND, Va. >> Fans of the Chesapeake Bay now have an online tool to track the progress of the estuary’s restoration.
Called ChesapeakeProgress, the website gives visitors an overview of the multi-state effort to clean up the bay after decades of neglect. It shows goals and outcomes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement involving the states of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia; and the District of Columbia.
The agreement is aimed at limiting urban and rural pollution from flowing into the bay. The bay’s water has become so polluted, vast areas are called “dead zones” because they are devoid of life.
The aim of the agreement is to clean up the bay and help restore marine life such as oysters, blue crabs and other species.
Boston drifter gets prison for strangling disabled NYC man
NEW YORK >> A drifter from Boston has been sentenced to prison for strangling a disabled New York City man who had given him a place to stay.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown says Raymond Epps was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years to life.
He was convicted of murder and robbery in the October 2011 death of 62-year-old Wayne Graves.
The prosecutor says Epps responded to Graves’ act of kindness by killing him and stealing his credit cards.
Graves, who needed a walker to get around, was found dead in his bathtub.
Epps used the victim’s credit cards to buy a bus ticket back to Boston, and merchandise that he traded for drugs.
Possibly explosive gas leak found at 3 Long Island buildings
MELVILLE >> Officials say three Long Island commercial buildings had to be evacuated due to a gas leak.
Police, fire and National Grid authorities responded to the Melville scene on state Route 110 Tuesday afternoon.
Assistant Fire Chief David Kaplan says firefighters detected high levels of natural gas in the buildings that could’ve caused an explosion.
About 20 people were evacuated. Kaplan says no injuries were reported. Officials say the buildings have been ventilated.
A National Grid spokeswoman says the cause of the leak is unclear. It has since been repaired. Crews will monitor the scene until Wednesday morning.
Store owners tell News 12 New York they’ve reported smelling gas since Thanksgiving. They say officials told them the leak came from an outside pipe that traveled through a crawlspace into their store.
Passenger getting off NYC subway train is dragged to death
NEW YORK >> Police say a man getting off a New York City subway train has been dragged to his death, and authorities are investigating how it happened.
It happened shortly before 7 p.m. Monday as an F train left the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens station in Queens.
The New York Police Department says 51-year-old Queens resident Edward Leonard was found unconscious and unresponsive when officers responded to a 911 call.
Police say Leonard was dragged and struck his head on the platform. Emergency crews rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police say the man’s clothing may have gotten caught in the doors as he was exiting the subway car.
Authorities are continuing to investigate.
Suspect questioned in tourist attack near Statue of Liberty
NEW YORK >> New York City police say they’re questioning a suspect in an attack on a tourist who refused to buy tickets to the Statue of Liberty.
The attack happened Monday afternoon in front of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan.
Authorities say the victim and his family were approached by a woman who said she was selling tickets to the attraction. When the tourist said he wasn’t interested, a man came up and punched him in the face.
Authorities say the victim was knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured skull. The tourist was from Arizona, and authorities believe the tickets were fakes.
The two suspects fled.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said police would be “very aggressively” investigating.
Man admits he conspired to traffic girl for sex
ROCHESTER >> A western New York man is facing a sentence of up to life in prison after admitting he intended to traffic a girl for sex.
Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that Brandon McNeal pleaded guilty in federal court in Rochester to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.
Prosecutors say the 24-year-old Rochester man conspired with others to recruit a young female for sex acts and knew she was under 18 years old.
Prosecutors say McNeal had a minor work as a prostitute between July 2015 and August 2015 and posted advertisem*nts for her on an Internet site for classified ads.
McNeal arranged for her to meet clients in a motel room he paid for.
McNeal is expected to be sentenced on May 16.
Suspect questioned in attack on tourist in Manhattan
NEW YORK >> New York City police say they’re questioning a suspect in an attack on a visitor from Arkansas who refused to buy apparently fake tickets to the Statue of Liberty.
The incident occurred Monday afternoon in front of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan.
Authorities say the victim and his family were approached by a woman who said she was selling tickets to the attraction. When the tourist said he wasn’t interested, a man came up and punched him in the face.
Authorities say the victim was knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured skull.
The two suspects fled.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said police would be “very aggressively” investigating.
NYC-bound flight diverted twice, lands after 30 travel hours
NEW YORK >> A New York-bound flight from the Dominican Republic that was diverted to New Hampshire and Boston has arrived after about 30 hours of traveling.
The Delta flight left Punta Cana Monday afternoon and arrived in Queens around 8 p.m. Tuesday.
It had been scheduled to arrive in Queens around 6:15 p.m. Monday. Officials say inclement weather prevented it from landing and the plane was diverted to Manchester, New Hampshire.
Customs agents drove from Portland, Maine to Manchester to process the passengers. The Manchester airport doesn’t usually accept international flights. Delta says customers were provided hotel accommodations.
Officials say the Tuesday flight was then diverted to Boston due to wind and turbulence. Passengers say some people fell ill and needed oxygen.
Delta tells WHDH-TV it hasn’t made any official compensation offers.
Mayor: Calls to close Rikers ‘noble’ – but it’s complicated
NEW YORK >> Mayor Bill de Blasio says calls to close the Rikers Island jail are “noble” but raise major financial and logistical issues.
De Blasio told reporters Tuesday that there is “a certain appeal to the notion of starting over.”
But the Democrat said that would cost “billions of dollars” and he has to “look out for the taxpayer.”
Democratic City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has announced a commission to study the fate of the 400-acre island in the East River. It houses most of New York City’s 10,000 inmates.
Another Democrat, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said Tuesday that Rikers is dangerous and dated and should be replaced.
De Blasio has sought to reduce the Rikers population and improve conditions there.
Cuomo backs replacing Rikers Island with modern NYC jail
ALBANY >> Gov. Andrew Cuomo says Rikers Island is dangerous and dated and should be replaced with a modern and safer jail for New York City.
The governor says in an interview Tuesday that the jail built in the 1930s has been a “festering” problem, dangerous for guards and inmates.
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has announced a commission to study the fate of the 400-acre island in the East River. It houses most of the city’s 10,000 inmates.
Cuomo tells NY1 the first step is to admit the problem, the second to determine the alternative: one jail or many smaller facilities.
The push for changes at Rikers began in 2014 after reports by The Associated Press on dozens of deaths highlighted poor supervision, questionable medical care and failure to prevent suicides.
Suspect questioned in tourist attack near Statue of Liberty
NEW YORK >> New York City police say they’re questioning a suspect in an attack on a tourist who refused to buy tickets to the Statue of Liberty.
The attack happened Monday afternoon in front of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan.
Authorities say the victim and his family were approached by a woman who said she was selling tickets to the attraction. When the tourist said he wasn’t interested, a man came up and punched him in the face.
Authorities say the victim was knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured skull. The tourist was from Arkansas, and authorities believe the tickets were fakes.
The two suspects fled.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said police would be “very aggressively” investigating.
Priest who gained fame as half of TV ‘God Squad’ dies
ROCKVILLE CENTRE >> A Roman Catholic priest from New York who gained fame as half of an interfaith “God Squad” duo on television has died.
Monsignor Thomas J. Hartman died late Tuesday at a nursing home in Uniondale. His death at age 69 was confirmed by Diocese of Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy in a statement.
Murphy says Hartman had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for several years.
Hartman and Rabbi Marc Gellman teamed up as “The God Squad” on TV and radio and in print for 25 years.
They started the program in 1987 on Cablevision. A decade later they moved it to Telecare, the diocesan television channel.
Newsday reports Hartman once called himself “a parish priest with an ability in the media.”
Questions arise as Rochester area digs out from big storm
ROCHESTER >> As the Rochester area digs out from under nearly 2 feet of snow, some residents are questioning how local authorities handled the storm.
The snow started falling early Tuesday and continued into the morning commute, causing major traffic backups on interstate highways and other roads across Monroe County.
The wet, heavy snow caused tractor-trailers to become bogged down on Interstate 490, closing the highway in both directions and stranding motorists heading to work. Some people were stuck in their vehicles for several hours.
The county didn’t issue a travel advisory and close county facilities until 10 a.m. County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo says that’s because officials didn’t expect the storm to hit with such intensity so late in the morning.
The National Weather Service says the storm dumped 18 to 22 inches of snow across the Rochester area.
Winter storm wreaks havoc in Rochester area
ROCHESTER >> A snowstorm is expected to dump almost two feet of snow in some areas in around Rochester.
The heavy snow stranded motorists and shut down Interstate 490 in both directions on Tuesday to allow plows to catch up. There were reports of jackknifed tractor trailers, and motorists stuck behind the crashes were being told to back up to get off at the nearest exit.
Some drivers abandoned their cars, and many vehicles were stuck at intersections.
The National Weather Service said a winter storm warning was in effect until 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Rochester area, with less than two more inches of snow expected.
Winter storm warnings were posted through 1 a.m. Wednesday in Watertown and other areas east of Lake Ontario, as well as northern New York.
Man sentenced for selling stolen jewelry from Connecticut
NEW HAVEN, Conn. >> A New York man has been sentenced to prison for selling jewelry that was stolen from a home in Connecticut.
Connecticut U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly announced Wednesday that 33-year-old Miguel Mead, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years of probation.
Mead pleaded guilty in October to sale or receipt of stolen goods.
Prosecutors say Mead and a group of friends committed numerous residential burglaries in Connecticut and other states along the east coast between February 2012 and November 2013. They’re accused of stealing money, jewelry and firearms.
Prosecutors say Mead’s group stole about 250 pieces of jewelry valued at more than $2.5 million from a Salisbury home in February 2012. Mead then sold several pieces to a business in North Carolina.
NY mediator: Argentina makes further progress in bond deals
NEW YORK >> A court-appointed mediator in New York says Argentina has reached a settlement with bondholders seeking about 1 percent of the $10 billion being pursued by investors.
Mediator Daniel Pollack announced the deal Tuesday in the class-action case. It came nearly two weeks after the mediator announced that two of six leading bondholders settled claims for over $1 billion.
The announcement comes as Argentina continues negotiating with multiple groups of bondholders who had refused years ago to trade bonds at a discount, going to court instead. Argentina had created the swaps after it defaulted in 2001 on $100 billion of debt.
Attorney Jason Zweig, representing the latest settling bondholders, said class bondholders had wanted about $28 million in unpaid principal plus interest. Individual bondholders must prove they continuously held their bonds.
Registered sex offender sentenced for sex with teen boy
NEWARK, N.J. >> A registered sex offender from New Jersey who took a 15-year-old boy across state lines so they could engage in sexual activity is now headed back to prison.
Federal prosecutors say Jayme Shannon was sentenced Tuesday to more than 21 years.
The 53-year-old East Windsor man pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of a minor for illicit purposes and doing so while being a registered sex offender.
Prosecutors say Shannon met the teen in an online chat room in September 2013 and continued to communicate with him. A month later, he arranged to meet the boy at a Fort Lee motel.
On the day of the meeting, Shannon drove from New Jersey to New York and picked up the victim. They then went to the motel and engaged in sexual conduct.
Shannon was arrested at the motel later that day.
