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On August 6, 2023, at approximately 9:26 p.m., New York State Police from SP Rochester was involved in a vehicle pursuit that concluded with an officer-involved shooting. The trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a 1995 Cadillac for vehicle and traffic violations on I-490 westbound near Innovative Field in the city of Rochester. The operator failed to comply and a pursuit ensued, continuing west on I-490 to State Route 531 in the town of Gates when the operator of the vehicle exited at Rochester Tech Park, struck a guide rail, jumped a curb, and entered into a field. The suspect then exited the vehicle and failed to obey several verbal commands from the trooper. While the trooper was attempting to place the suspect into custody, the suspect discharged one round from his handgun in close proximity to the trooper. The trooper then discharged his issued firearm, striking and fatally injuring the suspect who was later pronounced deceased at the scene. The trooper was medically treated and released from the scene. Pursuant to Executive Law Section 70-b, the New York State Attorney General’s Office is investigating the incident in conjunction with the New York State Police. The investigation is ongoing and future updates will be posted on the NYSP Newsroom as they become available.

We are less than 2 weeks away from the 2023 Tunnel to Towers Foundation's Central New York 5K Run/Walk! We'll be putting out some posts with event day details in between thanking our sponsors, so stay tuned. Some important things we wanted to share right now.... This year's event is co-hosted by the City of Utica NY Official / Mayor Robert M. Palmieri and the Utica Roadrunners. Without either of these organizations, we would not have grown to where we are this year! For full event details, parking, shuttles, etc, see the FAQ section of our registration page: https://runsignup.com/.../TunneltoTowers5KRunWalkUticaNY We will be taking registrations right up to the start of the event but... in order to get a shirt size you want, we recommend that you sign up sooner than later. We will try to accommodate size requests the best we can but later registrations may not be able to get the requested sizes. Packet pickup will be on Saturday, August 19 at The Sneaker Store's new location, 24 Genesee St, New Hartford, from 9am to 4pm. Parking is available at the store and in the municipal lot across the street (by Cavallo's and Cafe Canole). Run/walk day packet pickup will be at the FINISH LINE AREA at the Utica State Office Building. Arrive early enough to make it to the start line however. The run/walk starts at 9 am this year! The course is the same but we changed the time to allow for participants traveling a little distance a little more time to arrive. Music will begin at 8 am at the start line and our opening ceremony at 8:45 am, so arrive early! There will be a LOT to see along the course so if you are running in uniform or turnout gear or running gear, or walking with your family, it will hopefully be a moving experience for all. After the run/walk, there will be live entertainment from the guys from Poor Tim, kid activities, food trucks and our closing ceremony and awards so plan on sticking around! After we wrap up in downtown, head down to the The Celtic Harp on Varick St for our annual after party with more live entertainment! After we come together to help America's Heroes, join us as we unwind and soak in the day's accomplishments! We look forward to seeing you on August 20! To register: https://runsignup.com/.../TunneltoTowers5KRunWalkUticaNY

On 08/03/23, State Police Sylvan Beach responded to the Walmart Supercenter, 5815 Rome-Taberg Road, in the City of Rome for a report of a larceny in progress. Asset protection associates had detained Victoria I. Maher, 44 years of age, of Boonville, NY after failing to pay for all the items in her cart. The investigation revealed that Maher concealed seventy-seven items in reusable shopping bags in her cart and failed to pay for them after using the self-checkout. The value of the items totaled $521.53. Maher was charged with Petit Larceny and issued an appearance ticket returnable to the City of Rome Court on 08/22/23. https://www.nyspnews.com/state-police-arrest-boonville-woman-for-petit-larceny.htm

On August 5, 2023. at approx 4:38 a.m., State Police in Alexandria Bay were dispatched to a reported car fire near 17643 County Route 181 in the town of Clayton. As Clayton Fire Department arrived on the scene, the truck had been fully engulfed and had been burning for an extended period of time. It appears that the vehicle was traveling eastbound on County Route 181 when it crossed the westbound lane, exited the roadway, struck a wooden fence, and ultimately struck a large tree. The impact of the crash caused the vehicle to become engulfed in fire. Upon Clayton Fire Department put out the fire, a set of human remains were located in the driver area of the truck. The name of the driver is being held until a positive identification can be determined. the investigation is continuing. https://www.nyspnews.com/state-police-investigate-fatal-crash-in-town-clayton.htm

Talk about the right place at the right time!!! Members of the NYSP Under Water Recovery Team and New York State Fire members from all over the state were training in the Sacandaga River in Hadley, NY today. Just as they were wrapping up the training they were informed of an inflatable vessel in trouble. A brave civilian Devin Robarge was an excellent guide, and the first to swim out to help the people in trouble. Together they all rescued two boaters clinging to a rock in rapid waters and transported them to safety. Everyone on the boat has been accounted for and is safe. Well done!!!

PRESS RELEASE On August 3, 2023, New York State Police at Ithaca and members of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation responded to a crash involving one car and two motorcycles on Millard Hill Road in the town of Newfield. A preliminary investigation at the scene revealed that at approximately 8:55 p.m., two Harley Davidson motorcycles were traveling west on Millard Hill Road and a Subaru Forester was traveling in the opposite direction. Approximately one mile east of Short Lane and while cresting a knoll, one of the motorcycles crossed into the opposite lane and collided with the Subaru Forester. After the initial impact with the Subaru, the two motorcycles then collided. The driver of the Harley Davidson that initially collided with the Subaru is identified as Wesley V. Demming, age 26 of Newfield, NY. Numerous life-saving measures were performed by Newfield Fire Company personnel and Bangs Ambulance members. Unfortunately, Demming succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the second Harley Davidson is identified as Louis R. Loiselle, age 30 of Newfield. He was transported by Bangs Ambulance to Cayuga Medical Center then airlifted to Robert Packer Hospital to be treated for his injuries. The driver of the Subaru Forrester is identified as Scott Watkins, age 19 of Newfield, NY. He was transported by Bangs Ambulance to Cayuga Medical Center for head injuries. sources: www.nyspnews.com/nysp-investigates-fatal-crash-in-newfield.htm

PRESS RELEASE On August 1, 2023, at approximately 3:32 p.m., New York State Police at Ithaca were dispatched by the Tompkins County 911 Center to a report of a multi-vehicle crash on State Route 13 in the town of Newfield near Smileys. An investigation at the scene revealed that three vehicles were traveling northbound on State Route 13. A Honda Odyssey was stopped and making a left turn and the vehicle behind it, a Chevrolet Traverse slowed down when a third vehicle, a Ford Escape rear-ended the Chevrolet pushing the Chevrolet Traverse into the Honda Odyssey. The first vehicle, the Honda Odyssey was operated by Jennifer A. Foote, age 49 of Newfield, NY. She did not report any injuries on the scene. One passenger of that vehicle, a 15-year-old female reported injury and was transported to Cayuga Medical Center by ambulance. A second passenger, a 15-year-old female did not report any injuries on scene. The second vehicle, the Chevrolet Traverse was being operated by Armando G. Acero, age 61 of Las Vegas, NV. He was transported by ambulance to Cayuga Medical Center for a complaint of pain. The passenger of that vehicle, a 29-year-old male of Las Vegas, NV was transported to Cayuga Medical Center by ambulance for a complaint of pain. The third vehicle, the Ford Escape was being operated by Chantee M. Besse, age 24 of Elmira, NY. She was transported by ambulance to Upstate Medical Center for a complaint of pain. There were four passengers in that vehicle that all reported injuries: • 3-year-old of Elmira, NY transported by helicopter to Upstate Medical Center for a head injury. • 56-year-old female of McKinney, TX transported by helicopter to Robert Packer for complaint of pain. • 7-year-old of Elmira, NY transported by ambulance to Upstate Medical Center for a hip/leg injury. • 10-year-old of Elmira, NY transported by ambulance for a lower leg injury. Troopers were assisted by members of Newfield Fire Company, Tompkins Sheriff’s Deputies, Bangs Ambulance, Village of Trumansburg EMS, Spencer EMS, Schuyler EMS, Guthrie Air and LifeNet.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that EDWARD MULLINS, the former President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association (“SBA”), the union that represents all current and former sergeants of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), was sentenced today to two years in prison in connection with a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SBA through the submission of fraudulent expense reports. MULLINS pled guilty on January 19, 2023, before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl, who imposed today’s sentence. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For years, Edward Mullins abused his position as the head of the SBA to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the pockets of hard-working NYPD sergeants. Mullins publicly vowed to protect the interests of the thousands of active and retired sergeants that he represented. But behind the scenes, Mullins stole from the SBA and its members, treating the SBA as his personal piggy bank. In doing so, Mullins disgraced his uniform, broke the law, and undermined the public’s trust in law enforcement. As today’s sentence demonstrates, no one — not even high-ranking union bosses — is above the law.” According to the Information filed in the case and other filings and statements made in court: The SBA is the fifth-largest police union in the United States with its headquarters located in lower Manhattan. The SBA’s membership consists of all active and retired sergeants of the NYPD with approximately 13,000 members. From 2002 until October 2021, EDWARD MULLINS served as President of the SBA. Beginning in 2017, MULLINS devised a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SBA. MULLINS used his personal credit card to pay for meals at high-end restaurants and to purchase luxury personal items, among other things, and then submitted false and inflated expense reports to the SBA, representing that his charges were legitimate SBA expenditures when, in fact, they were not. MULLINS’s expense reports were fraudulent in at least three ways. First, MULLINS routinely included meals on his expense reports that were not SBA-related. Second, MULLINS routinely inflated the costs of his meals – whether SBA-related or not – thereby taking more money from the SBA. Third, MULLINS took certain expenses from his credit card statements, including clothing and supermarket expenses, and recategorized them as SBA-related meals, thereby obtaining even more money from the SBA. MULLINS’s fraudulent expenses were paid through the SBA’s Contingent Fund, which was funded primarily through annual dues paid by SBA members. In total, between 2017 and 2021, MULLINS stole at least $600,000 from the SBA through the filing of hundreds of fraudulent expense reports. * * * In addition to his prison term, MULLINS, 61, of Port Washington, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to make restitution to the SBA in the amount of $600,000. MULLINS was also ordered to forfeit $600,000. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and the FBI/NYPD Public Corruption Task Force. This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Rothman and David Robles and are in charge of the prosecution. ContactNicholas Biase (212) 637-2600 Updated August 3, 2023

New tactile signage will help people with visual disabilities better identify row numbers, seat assignments and lavatory locations independently First Braille-equipped aircraft now flying and the airline expects to outfit entire mainline fleet by 2026 CHICAGO, July 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- United today became the first U.S. airline to add Braille to aircraft interiors, helping millions of travelers with visual disabilities more easily navigate the cabin independently. According to the Department of Transportation, about 27 million people with disabilities traveled by air in 2019. The airline currently has equipped about a dozen aircraft with Braille markings for individual rows and seat numbers as well as inside and outside the lavatories. United expects to outfit its entire mainline fleet with Braille by the end of 2026. Image of Braille markings for an individual row on an aircraft. "Finding your seat on a plane or getting to the restroom is something most of us take for granted, but for millions of our customers, it can be a challenge to do independently," said Linda Jojo, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer for United. "By adding more tactile signage throughout our interiors, we're making the flying experience more inclusive and accessible, and that's good for everyone." In addition to adding Braille, United is working with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and other disability advocacy groups to explore the use of other tactile navigational aids throughout the cabin such as raised letters, numbers and arrows. "We applaud United for taking an important step toward making its aircraft more accessible to blind passengers," said NFB President Mark Riccobono. "The flight experience is often frustrating for a number of reasons, one of which is the amount of information that is available exclusively through printed signs and other visual indicators. We hope to continue working with United to explore additional ways to make flying more accessible and less stressful for blind passengers." For the eighth-straight year, United was recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion and earned a top score on the Disability Equality Index benchmarking tool, a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN, to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. "United is taking additional steps to create an accessible airline passenger experience through braille signage," said ACB Interim Executive Director Dan Spoone. "We appreciate the airline's continued exploration of additional in-flight navigational aids like large print and tactile indicators, and we encourage all airlines to follow United's lead in making air travel more inclusive for the blind and low vision community." The rollout of Braille to mainline aircraft over the next few years is the latest way United has worked to create accessible solutions for its customers and employees: The United mobile app was recently redesigned to make it easier to use for people with visual disabilities with increased color contrast, more space between graphics and reordering how information is displayed and announced to better integrate with the screen reader technologies like VoiceOver and TalkBack. United's Inflight Seatback Entertainment screens offer a wide range of accessible features such as closed captioning, text-to-speech controls, magnification, explore-by-touch capabilities, audio-described movies, and adjustable and high-contrast text and color correction. As part of United Next, the airline's historic growth plan, the carrier expects to take delivery of about 700 new narrow and widebody aircraft by the end of 2032, all of which will include the latest in seatback screen entertainment options. Through Bridge, United's Business Resource Group for people of all abilities, employees help create a workplace environment where all can strive to achieve their maximum potential and support our commitment to being an ally for customers with disabilities. United's long-standing partnership with Special Olympics provides employment opportunities to athletes through the Special Olympics Service Ambassador program, a workforce development initiative that provides a forum to work alongside Airport Operations and Customer Service teams to assist customers. The airline also supports Special Olympics through volunteerism, fundraising and travel support to attend national and international competitions. About United At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL". SOURCE United Airlines

Troopers from SP Herkimer are asking for the public’s assistance in locating 15-year-old Emily R. Clapper. Emily was last seen leaving a residence on State Route 51 in the town of Winfield on July 29, 2023. She is described as a 5’4" white female with red hair. She was last seen wearing a grey hoodie, black leggings, and a pink shirt. Emily is originally from Oneonta and is believed to be returning to the Oneonta area or the city of Utica to stay with acquaintances. Anyone with any information is asked to call SP Herkimer at 315-366-6000.

PRESS RELEASE On July 29, 2023, at approximately 1:00 a.m., SP Herkimer responded to a report of a vehicle fire on Warren Rd. in the town of German Flatts. Further investigation revealed that when the vehicle, a 2008 Nissan Altima, crested the top of the hill on Warren Rd. the driver lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then exited the roadway, struck a tree, and became engulfed in flames on the west shoulder the road. The two occupants of the vehicle, 31-year-old Andrew Newman and 19-year-old Lillianna Mae Pavelka, both of Utica, were pronounced deceased at the scene. https://www.nyspnews.com/state-police-herkimer-respond-to-fatal-vehicle-fire-in-town-german-flatts.htm

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Akiem Howard, age 24, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve 250 months (20 years and 10 months) in federal prison for robbing two Syracuse corner stores, and for related firearms charges, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Chief Joseph Cecile, City of Syracuse Police Department (SPD), John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshal David McNulty, and William Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney. As part of his previous guilty plea to robberies of businesses engaged in interstate commerce (the Hobbs Act) and using firearms in furtherance of federal crimes of violence, Howard admitted robbing two Syracuse corner stores at gunpoint. The first robbery occurred on December 13, 2020, and the second was on December 21, 2020. The December 13 robbery occurred at about 11:14 pm and Howard robbed it along with a second robber. Both Howard and the second robber pointed handguns at the store clerk. The December 21, 2020 robbery occurred at about 10:45 am approximately one-fifth of a mile from an elementary school. Howard robbed the store with a third robber, Chantal Jaquez. Howard used a revolver and Jaquez carried a rifle. While fleeing the store, Howard fired several rounds from his revolver at the store clerk. One of the bullets struck Jaquez in the leg. Jaquez previously pleaded guilty to participating in the December 21, 2020, robbery and, on August 18, 2022, was sentenced to serve 111 months in federal prison. As part of his guilty plea, Howard also admitted to committing three other armed robberies on December 19, 2020. United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also sentenced Howard to a three-year term of supervised release to begin after he serves his term of imprisonment. This case was investigated by the Syracuse Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division (SPD-CID), the SPD Intelligence Section (SPD-Intel), the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Sutcliffe. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.