Jeffrey Jones to become CAVAC’s first paid chief of operations
By kAtE hill Staff writer
The Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CAVAC) recently hired Jeffrey Jones as its first paid chief of operations (COO) in its 51-year history. Currently based at 106 Nelson St., the local ambulance service relies on a team of vol -
unteers — drivers, crew coordinators, emergency medical technicians, and general members — and paid professional paramedics. A high school student corps also supports its operations. In addition to providing emergency medical services (EMS) to Cazenovia and surrounding communities, CAVAC offers short-term medical equipment loans and has a NYS-certified child/baby
car seat installer. Periodically, CAVAC conducts community training classes in hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), CPR-Basic Life Support, and other topics.
Jones, who will take over the COO role on May 19, has been a CAVAC paramedic and the organization’s deputy of training since April 2024; before that, he provided various training sessions for CAVAC
throughout the years and was a lieutenant firefighter paramedic with Fayetteville Fire & EMS.
“After over 50 years of volunteer leadership, CAVAC has chosen to create a paid chief of operations position, and I was lucky enough to be appointed,” said Jones. “This position is the senior leadership role for the organization and
Cazenovia-area land
By kAtE hill Staff writer
At the end of 2024, the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation (CPF) was awarded a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through its Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts (FCELT) program.
This highly competitive program offers matching grants to qualified NY land trusts to fund the acquisition of conservation easements on privately owned forested land to protect these lands from future development. CPF was one of only four land trusts to receive an award under this program in 2024.
The organization was awarded $350,000 to help permanently protect 467 acres of forested land at the junction of Cazenovia, Nelson, and DeRuyter. The property, previously known as the Shed’s Corner Preserve, sits adjacent to the 3,737-acre Tioughnioga Wildlife Management Area and, according to CPF, plays a vital role in regional habitat connectivity and climate resilience.
“The Nature Conservancy has developed a map of resilient lands identified as having high biodiversity and/or high connectivity to other habitat areas to support plant and animal species range migrations related to climate change,” said Jennifer Wong, CPF’s executive director. “As species habitat ranges change over time, moving generally northward, these lands, if protected, can provide a connected corridor to support plant and animal populations and biodiversity objectives.”
According to Wong, the property was identified as a conservation priority due to its large size, existing forestland habitat, and proximity to other tracts of conserved land — characteristics that factored into its high score in The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient and Connected Network.
“It is not often that opportunities arise to conserve this much forested acreage in a single transaction in our area, so this project offers the ability to rapidly advance conservation goals for CPF and NYS,” she said.
CPF approached the current landowners, Tom and Julie Kubiniec, in 2021, shortly after they purchased the property, to inquire if they might consider certain protections for the property. In 2023, CPF renewed those conversations as it reviewed potential opportunities for a project under the FCELT program.
The Kubiniecs will continue to manage the property with a strong focus on sustainable forestry, habitat protection, and recreational hunting. While the property won’t include public trails, Wong said the Kubiniecs have expressed an interest in occasionally hosting groups for recreational or educational purposes, such as scouting groups working on orienteering skills or students learning about forest ecology.
Funds from the FCELT grant will be used to purchase the development rights on the property and place a perpetual conservation easement on the land, allowing for only very limited future development. According to Wong, the grant sup-
ports the transaction costs related to the placement of the easement, provides funds to the property owners to offset the value of the development rights on the land, provides funding for the preparation of an updated Forest Management Plan, and provides a contribution to CPF’s stewardship and legal defense fund to support the monitoring and stewardship of the easement in perpetuity.
“This program is similar in structure to the ‘purchase of development rights’ programs that CPF has utilized to conserve much of the farmland in our conservation portfolio,” Wong said.
On May 6, she reported that CPF is in the “active project phase” and anticipates closing on the easement in the first quarter of 2026.
The mission of CPF is to protect the historic, agricultural, and natural resources surrounding Cazenovia for the benefit of the community.
The public is invited to attend the CPF Annual Meeting & Celebration on Tuesday, May 27, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Delphi Falls County Park Visitor Center, 2006 Cardner Rd., Cazenovia.
The organization will recognize this year’s service and restoration award recipients, celebrate its 2024 conservation successes, elect officers and board nominees for the coming year, and share information about projects and upcoming events. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information about CPF and how to support its work, visit cazpreservation.org.
Learn more about the FCELT program at landtrustalliance.org.
Caz man charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft accused of defrauding victims out of more than $640k
By kAtE hill Staff writer
Dean Dellas, of Cazenovia, has been accused of stealing approximately $642,000 from his clients through unauthorized withdrawals and advisor fees.
Dellas, 40, was arraigned on Tuesday, May 6, in federal court on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, special agent in charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the news in a May 9 press release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District Arrest l Page 5
CCSD hosts budget public hearing
Proposed tax levy increase reduced due to increased state aid
By kAtE hill Staff writer
On May 12, the Cazenovia Central School District (CCSD) held a budget public hearing in the high school auditorium before the school board’s regular monthly meeting. The purpose of the hearing was to allow community members to ask questions and receive information about the district’s proposed $40,446,980 expenditure budget for the 2025-26 school year. The annual budget vote is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Cazenovia Middle School Auxiliary Gym. Absentee ballots will be accepted by mail until 5 p.m.
Qualified voters will also elect two members to the CCSD Board of Education (BOE), which consists of seven voting members plus the superintendent of schools. Members are elected to serve a three-year, unpaid, non-partisan term.
Three candidates are running for the two board seats. Judith Hight and Jennifer Parmalee, whose terms expire this year, are seeking reelection. The third candidate is Danielle Synborski. The League of Women Voters of Cazenovia held a candidate forum on May 13 in the Cazenovia Public Library Community Room. The public was invited to attend and ask questions.
Voters will also be asked whether the CCSD BOE shall be authorized to purchase and finance four replacement school buses — three 65-passenger clean diesel buses and one 24-passenger gasoline bus — at a total cost not to exceed $658,158.
Additionally, the ballot will include a proposition authorizing the district to levy a tax of $525,486 for the Cazenovia Public Library and $197,894 for the New Woodstock Free Library. The district is obligated by state law to hold a vote on behalf of the public libraries and to collect taxes on their behalf.
During a presentation before the question-and-answer portion of the public hearing, Superintendent Christopher DiFulvio stated that the goals of the budget process are to create a spending plan that provides the best possible academic and extracurricular opportunities for students in the safest environment possible, while remaining fiscally responsible to the com-
Budget l Page 11
Jeffrey Jones
Submitted photo
At the end of 2024, the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation was awarded a $350,000 grant to help permanently protect 467 acres of forested land at the junction of Cazenovia, Nelson, and DeRuyter.
Cavac l Page 3
oversees all aspects of the day-to-day operations. . . . I really enjoy the community aspect of the organization and am proud of the services CAVAC provides. [Everyone] is there to serve the community, and many members have been there for years, if not decades. I see unlimited opportunities for the organization and hope to make CAVAC a leader in public education, training, and emergency response.”
According to the COO job description, the position requires exceptional leadership, problem-solving skills, and a deep understanding of EMS protocols and operational logistics.
“The COO ensures the delivery of high-quality patient care, operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and strategic alignment with the organization’s goals,” according to the description.
The responsibilities include overseeing the training and supervision of all operational personnel to ensure the delivery of consistent, high-quality patient care; program planning; maintaining staffing, vehicles, equipment, and facilities; and performing other duties assigned by the CAVAC Executive Committee.
Jones will take over the COO position from Rick Macheda, who volunteered his time while working full-time for National Grid and serving the Cazenovia Fire Department.
“When CAVAC began, [we] had advanced life support (ALS) providers who also worked full-time jobs,” said CAVAC Executive Committee President Carla Kinney. “As time went on, our ALS providers had a hard time keeping up their skills and maintaining qualifications, and it became too difficult to train volunteers to this care level. So, we decided to go with paid paramedics in 2001. This allowed us to provide ALS support 24/7. Now jump ahead another 24 years, and we have more calls, more state oversight, and more demands on the chief of operations. Our departing chief worked a full-time job, 40-plus hours/week,
in addition to [his duties as] chief of ops. The poor man was run ragged. So, once again, we took a hard look at how [we could] continue to provide the best pre-hospital care to our community; [we] realized we needed to hire a chief of operations.”
According to Kinney, CAVAC needed to find a paramedic who was wellversed in New York State regulations and had the leadership and time required for the job.
“We had incredible candidates apply, and it was probably the hardest selection process I have ever participated in,” she said. “To have a choice of talented paramedics was a luxury, but [it made for] a difficult decision. Jeff is a retired lieutenant firefighter paramedic from Fayetteville FD. He is our current training officer and has done an incredible job with that. So, after much thought, we decided he was the right person for the job.”
May is National Stop the Bleed Month, and May 22 is National Stop the Bleed Day.
To raise awareness and encourage the public to learn how to control severe bleeding in emergencies, Jones has spearheaded an effort to bring onehour American College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed courses to the Cazenovia community this month.
According to Jones, CAVAC has scheduled eight public classes.
The certificate courses are free, and advance registration is required. Sign up at cavacambulance.org/education/ cavac-training-classes/.
“Should a person suffer an injury causing life-threatening bleeding, they may have only minutes to live,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, even the beststaffed EMS agency likely won’t be on the scene in time to make a difference, so we need the public to act. With the right training, anyone can stop bleeding; this class provides exactly that. We will also discuss how to obtain bleeding control kits that contain the right equipment should the unthinkable ever happen.”
To learn more about CAVAC, visit cavacambulance.or g
House Made Sausage, Corned Beef, Roast Beef, Bagels Burgers, Wings, Shakes & Ice Cream, Huge Deli Sandwiches, From Scratch Soups, Dairy, Produce, Deli Meat & Cheese, Friday Fish Fry, Daily Specials
OuR vOicE
Showing appreciation
As the school year nears the home stretch, the week of May 5 to May 9 was designated as Teacher Appreciation Week.
For current students and those of us who have completed our school years, there are likely at least one or two educators who we have a particular appreciation for.
It may be the math or science teacher that challenged us to explore a subject we never knew we had an interest in and helped us excel in new ways. It may be the coach who encouraged a student’s talents on the athletic field or maybe it was the teacher who gave a little extra time when we most needed it and were struggling to get through a course or tackle new subject matter, or the teacher who just took a minute here and there for a word of encouragement that helped us get through the sometimes challenging days of school.
No matter what form it came in, there is likely a teacher or teachers who stand out to you now or did during your school days and that have had a lasting influence, maybe even inspiring you to pursue your own teaching career.
This influence can make a big difference.
It can come in any of the myriad things teachers do that resonate with a student.
Whether it is taking those extra minutes to listen when a young students has a story they are excited to share or taking that extra time to help work through a math problem or listening to a student’s ideas on the meaning of a classic book or showing appreciation for writing skills or fanning the flame for students with a love of the arts or music or encouraging them to go the extra mile on the athletic field, teachers have an influence that resonates.
In some cases it can even be this influence that helps us on our path to follow our passions and study harder, or push ourselves to explore new ideas in college or even helping us find our path in our adult lives with careers that were inspired by those little extra bits of encouragement we got from that teacher that we remember years later.
Needless to say the role teachers play in our lives is not one that is easily confined or defined by the strict parameters of the school day and can have a lasting impact on our lives.
But even knowing the important part teachers play in our lives and the lives of our own children, we don’t always take the time to stop and show that appreciation.
According to pta.org, since 1984, the National PTA has designated one week in May as a special time to honor the men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating our children.
According to the National Education Association, nea.org, there are some things people can do to put their words of appreciation into action.
“Teachers do all they can for their students, and we’re doing all we can for teachers,” the website says. “We’re transforming our appreciation into action that protects students, strengthens public schools, and ensures educators are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. From our social media pages to the offices of our Representatives and Senators, this Teacher Appreciation Week – we’re taking action. Help educators know just how appreciated they are by taking action: Write to Congress, learn how to make your voice heard locally, or share a message on social media, tagging @NEAToday, and using #ThankATeacher.”
The website goes on to suggest taking action by telling congressional representatives to support funding for public schools, speak up locally at school board meetings in support of teachers and working to make sure they have what they need to be successful and the website also encourages making videos and sharing the stories of extraordinary teachers and all they do.
While the appreciation week has passed, like any other profession, extending courtesy and appreciation can go a long way. It never hurts to reach out to your children’s teachers and have a conversation, ask questions and let them know the work they do makes a difference. Or for other ideas visit pta.org to get some more ideas on ways to show appreciation for local teachers.
WhY I STILL EAT BROCCOLI
Food of any kind is one of the hottest topics of conversation today. Growing, buying and preparing food has become an obsession.
Ramblings from the empty nest
My daughter’s friends buy breathtakingly expensive organic meat and vegetables, read slightly personally subversive magazines that tout the benefits of any of a number of current food fads such as the paleo-diet (no sugar, grain, legumes or dairy or in other words, no birthday cake or chocolate chip cookies) or the extreme vegan diet (only vegetables … a diet with recipes for brownies that count on you not noticing that all of the good things in brownies have been subbed out in favor of black beans and dates) and look down their noses at the stuff we fed them as children. Current food fads include the consumption of vegetables that I find, well … just awful. Take kale … please! Despite the laudatory mentions of kale by TV doctors, magazines that promise better health and even notations in scholarly journals about the benefits garnered by eating kale, it tastes like the bottom of a bird cage to me, or at least what I think the bottom of a bird cage would taste like.
I have truly tried to find a way to make kale more palatable. I’ve removed its stems and ribs, cut it into shreds, even massaged the leaves. It still had the same slightly burned, month old, toasted bread taste. Good grief, I even tried making oh- sotrendy kale chips, dutifully following the instructions to use only baby kale, discarding any leaves that had
FROM THE MAILBAG
Lutter running for mayor
To the editor:
Currently serving as a village trustee, I am now running for mayor in the June 17 election to bring more people into the fold of our village government and create a more open dialogue with the public.
I hold a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Cornell University and am a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). I have over 15 years of community development experience and have worked on a range of projects including land use, housing, recreation, and economic and small business development. Much of my work has centered on quality public engagement and consensus building. During my role as executive director of the Partnership for Community Development in Hamilton, I was named to the 2019 Central New York Business Journal 40 under Forty list.
I believe the village has hurdles ahead that can only be conquered with strategic will and planning. First and foremost, we need a public planning process for the Cazenovia College campus that creates clear priorities and sets understandable terms for future developers. To do this, I plan to work with the village board to launch an effort to engage the community on the campus, what could go there, what we love about the properties, and creative ways to reuse them.
Beyond the campus, I believe we need to update the 2008 comprehensive plan to create a new shared vision for the entire village, including how best to support our downtown business core. These plans are meant to be updated every 10 years, and we are due to revisit this important process. As the parent of a 4-year-old, I’m particularly keen to explore ways we can improve our village for people of all ages, from the very young to seniors.
We will also need to take a hard look at our infrastructure and improve our resiliency for increasing inclement weather incidents. Flooding and other events threaten our public and private property and we need to do what we can to protect them and our public health. We also need to continue to work together to protect the water quality of Cazenovia Lake.
All of these things require as many people as possible to be engaged. I want residents to feel their voice is important and that their ideas and concerns are
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thick stems. I rubbed each with olive oil, added some salt and roasted said veggies for the required time. They were crispy versions of the same vile tasting but nutritious green. I’ve put the green in stews, soups and frittatas - what a way to sabotage perfectly good stews, soups and frittatas. The only kale that I find appetizing is that cooked with bacon and a bit of sugar, but then all of the good properties are cancelled out by the evils of sugar, nitrites, salt and fat.
I learned to love olives. Why can’t I turn the corner and come to love this vegetable? Growing up, our vegetables were limited to peas, carrots, corn and string beans. I don’t think that I even knew that broccoli existed until I was well into my 20s. Then it was an exotic foodstuff that trendy young people who had been to Europe ate. Come to think of it, I’m not too crazy about broccoli, either. Both belong to that group of veggies that the cognoscenti identify as cruciferous vegetables. Included in this family of greens are turnips, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. These and many others in this family have properties that are strongly anticancer as well as antiviral and potent for DNA repair . Super foods. They also have a unique, and that’s a kind adjective, taste. So, what’s up?
It turns out that I am a taster … of the chemical phenylthiocarbamide. Apparently people who can taste this compound, found in cruciferous vegetables, find them to be exceptionally bitter. I stumbled upon this
while cleaning out some old lesson plans and found a phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste strip similar to those I used when teaching about population genetics. Looking up the chemical compound, I found that people like me who taste this stuff find vegetables in certain families unpalatable. But I am not adverse to cauliflower, rutabagas, turnips or Brussels sprouts. In fact, I consider cabbage to be one of the vegetable kingdom’s gift to mothers who need a vegetable that can be manipulated into rather scrumptious fare. Turns out that if you inherit a taster gene from one parent and a non-taster gene from the other, you won’t find all of the brassicas (another name for the veggie family…probably an attempt to hide the true nature of the greens in a la the witness protection program.) so awful. Inherit that gene from both parents? I can’t imagine how repulsive those veggies will taste.
So, what does this prove? It may prove why my grandson will starve rather than consume a bite of anything green. This has never changed for my first-born grandson. He has replaced the cruciferous and most other photosynthetic foods with donuts … an hereditary food-related fondness. It will also prove how serious I am about eating well as I gag down the broccoli. But kale? I agree with my grandson.
Ann Ferro is a mother, a grandmother and a retired social studies teacher. While still figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up, she lives in Marcellus with lots of books, a spouse and a large orange cat.
YEARS AGO IN hISTORY
115 Years Ago – May 12, 1910
The people of our village and the vicinity responded generously and cordially to the appeal for contributions toward the support of the library.
Upon Library Day a substantial sum of money, about $260, was given through the envelopes that had been distributed.
It seems fitting that those who contributed should receive some word of appreciation, therefore the committee that arranged for the collection desire to thank the people who contributed to the fund, the collectors and all others who helped to make Library Day financially successful.
105 Years Ago – May 13, 1920
A white robin which has chosen Cazenovia for its home is attracting considerable attention.
Its nest is in one of the trees near the Presbyterian parsonage.
It is pure white except for dark streaks on its back and breast.
It may be seen almost any day enjoying itself on the lawn.
Its mate is colored like any other robin.
95 Years Ago – May 15, 1930
Early Nelson History – Among Nelson’s old-time residents were the Sims brothers, Art and Bill, who used to own the farm now owned by Tim Thomas.
The Simses sold out to Bill White in the sixties and retired to Cazenovia.
White set up a cheese-making business and did a good business for several years.
He used to get milk with in half-a-mile of the Erieville reservoir.
He ran his own team over Constine way over Shattuck Hill.
His son, Chet, who drove the team, carried a dinner horn and when he got on top of the hill the noise of that horn would go vibrating over the hills to say he was on the way.
One year White refused to pay his school tax. His children had attended school a few days before the warrant ran out.
When the collector went up to see him, White said to levy on anything he felt safe in but that he would not pay the tax.
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SPORTS
Phil Blackwell | Sports Editor | 434-8889 ext. 348 | pblackwell@eaglenewsonline.com
Caz boys tennis starts sectional play with shutout
BY PhIL BLACKWELL
Quite unlike the last two years, the Cazenovia boys tennis team did not enter the 2025 edition of the Section III Class C tournament as a favorite.
Instead, the Lakers found itself as a no. 7 seed knowing that it would have to win four times against a wide variety of familiar and un-
familiar opponents to claim another sectional title.
Playing last Saturday in the opening round against no. 10 seed Little Falls, Cazenovia found the first part to be simple and routine as it defeated the Mounties 5-0.
Liam Robertson got it going in singles for the Lakers beating Manny Cruz 6-1, 6-0. Evan Molloy had a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Evan Petrie
as Cooper Frazee handled Matt Otero 6-2, 6-2.
Both doubles matches were also won in two sets.
Jackson Reger and Robbie Dorus quickly defeated David Brown and Adrian LuczynskiPerch 6-0, 6-1 as Max Reger and Sam Kagey did a bit more work to top Elijah German and Marshall Chandler 6-3, 6-4.
Now the Lakers would challenge no. 2 seed
Cooperstown in Monday’s quarterfinal, with the winner to face Sauquoit Valley or Manlius Pebble Hill in the semifinals on Tuesday. Over in Class B, Chittenango got the no. 4 seed in a six-team bracket. The Bears would face no. 5 seed Homer on Monday with the winner to challenge top seed Oneida in the semifinals a day later.
Cazenovia girls golfers have late start to season
BY PhIL BLACKWELL
Only once in April did the Cazenovia girls golf team have a match. And it turns out that it wasn’t until May before it played anyone other than a side with a name other than Lakers. That came on May 2 when undefeated
Christian Brothers Academy came to Cazenovia Country Club and the Lakers took a 194-211 defeat to the Brothers.
Lauri Busch shot a 43 for nine holes beating everyone except CBA’s Clara DeFilippis shooting a 40.
Carlysle Ducey was fourth with a 50 as Kayla Mahoney-Hahn posted 64 and Kat
Riccelli a 56, Janna Herringshaw adding a 64. Cazenovia’s season had started back on April 21 with a Lakers duel against Skaneateles where, on the road, Cazenovia was able to prevail by a score of 218-231.
Kayla Mahoney-Hahn shot 53 at Skaneateles Country Club, edging the 54 from
Cate Gunderson and 56 from Genevieve Johnson. All other scheduled matches during the week were rained out, leaving Cazenovia to have a string of matches this week against the likes of Marcellus, Bishop Grimes, Westhill and Chittenango.
Cazenovia, Chittenango baseball deal with rains
BY PhIL BLACKWELL
Well into May, the Cazenovia and Chittenango baseball teams still found their schedules constantly altered by the wet weather which would not go away.
Rain stopped long enough for Cazenovia to welcome Skaneateles for a Laker duel last Wednesday that only lasted five innings as the hosts lost by a score of 10-0.
Skaneateles pitcher Sean Olley limited
Cazenovia to one hit, from Nico Segall, who also started on the mound but was chased in the second when the visitors erupted for seven runs.
Hugh Carroll and Shea Musso both hit home runs and each finished with three RBIs.
Musso added a pair of singles as Colton McDonald, Nate Latreille, Luke Ellis and Cody Crane drove in one run apiece.
Chittenango, meanwhile, was in the middle of a tense game with Phoenix last Monday
which was tied 3-3 through six innings when the rain picked up and the game was halted.
Mason Corlis scored twice, with RBIs from A.J. Valente and Eli Lefort, which helped the Bears build a 3-1 lead through four innings, but the Firebirds scored twice in the top of the fifth just as the game was made official.
A tight game with Solvay followed on Thursday night at the Gutchess Sports Complex in Cortland where the Bears took a 2-1 defeat to the Bearcats.
Both of Solvay’s runs came in the top of the first driven in by Aaron Trendell and Sam Sardo, but from there pitchers Reagan Poland and Alex Pappas would shut out the Bearcats and only surrender two total hits. Yet the Bears only managed a fourth-inning run where Pappas drove in Lefort. Max Overend limited Chittenango to two hits and recorded nine strikeouts.
Cazenovia girls lacrosse defeats Chittenango, 12-7
BY PhIL BLACKWELL
Having spent most of the regular season on separate paths, the Cazenovia and Chittenango girls lacrosse teams finally met up last Thursday night at the tail end of a busy stretch for both sides.
Fortunate to play in dry conditions, the Lakers ignored all possible fatigue and defeated the Bears 12-7, moving closer to guaranteeing itself a winning record for 2025.
Cazenovia was playing its third game in four days and had won the previous two, including a tense battle with Southern Hills last Monday which resulted in an 11-10 victory over the Storm.
As was the case many other times this spring the Lakers heavily leaned its attack on Charlie Prior, needing every one of her seven goals to withstand the Southern Hills challenge.
Hayden Bubble scored twice, with Tara Pratt and Izzy Stromer-Galley adding single goals. Maddy DeAngelis got two assists as Gwen Livingston had eight saves but Storm counterpart Kiera Reed made 17 saves to keep it close.
The Lakers had an easier time of it with Mexico a day later, working through a steady rain and pulling away to defeat the Tigers by a 15-6 margin.
Prior added six more goals to run her season total to 49 and pass the 150-goal mark for her career, adding an assist. This time she got more help as Bubble scored four times and Pratt converted twice, with single goals going to DeAngelis, Ella Gale and Izzy Stromer-Galley whose sister, Bridget, stepped up with three assists.
Now came Chittenango, and this fell in between those previous two contests in that Cazenovia would get out in front but the Bears would continue to
pressure, nearly equaling the Lakers’ shot total.
It was Livingston, making 12 saves, which proved a difference-maker since she had twice Sue Horning’s total on the other end.
Prior put up five goals, adding an assist. DeAngelis got two goals and two assists, with Bubble also scoring twice as Bridget Stromer-Galley had a goal and two assists. Sally Hughes also found the net.
Six different players scored for Chittenango but only Reese Ferstler converted twice. Persephone Roher, Anna Lazzaro, Gracie Hayes-Brazell, Solana Rohrer and Sequoya Roberts had the other goals.
Chittenango tuned up last Monday with a game at Marcellus where it lost, 17-10, to the Mustangs despite four goals from Ferstler and three goals and two assists from Ana Lazzaro. Hayes-Brazell, Persephone Rohrer
and Solana Rohrer had single goals, Roberts adding an assist. Horning made 11 saves as Sophia Pilon’s six goals and Cece Powell’s five goals paced the Mustangs.
Cazenovia would go to General Brown Saturday for a fourth game in six days and, despite the workload and trailing late in the game, rallied for a 10-9 victory over the Lions. The Lakers were down 6-4 at the break, but over the course of the last two periods Cazenovia clamped down on defense, Livingston working her total to six saves. Meanwhile, Prior got four more goals, helped by single goals from Bubble, Gale, Pratt, DeAngelis and both Stromer-Galley sisters.
Having clinched a winning record for the season at 9-5, Cazenovia only plays once this week, against Cortland on Thursday, while Chittenango goes to Cortland before welcoming Homer and Westhill later in the week.
Cazenovia boys lacrosse shuts out Chittenango, 14-0
BY PhIL BLACKWELL
Local rivals would meet in boys lacrosse last Thursday night when Cazenovia and Chittenango faced off at the Lakers’ multi-purpose turf field. And not once did the Bears get on the board.
Superb defense, combined with a dominance of the time of possession, allowed the state Class D no. 20ranked Lakers to sail to a 14-0 victory and improve its overall record to 6-3. It all began with a Cazenovia back line which limited Chittenango to just three shots all night. By contrast, the
Lakers had 29 attempts and got more than half of them past Bears goalie Connor Bradbury. Paul Mitchell’s three goals and three assists led the attack, but Ben Bianco and Owen Porter also recorded threegoal hat tricks while each picking up an assist.
Bobby Livingston converted twice, with Basil Sayre and Henry Frazee both getting one goal and one assist. Sam Kupinsky added a goal and Finn Hagan earned two assists. Traveling north Saturday to face General Brown, Cazenovia could not follow up its success from the Chittenango match, ultimately paying for
a poor start in a 12-7 defeat to the Lions.
Though most of the game was played on even terms, GB jumped out 6-1 in the first quarter and spent the rest of the afternoon protecting that margin led by Dominic Wisner’s six goals and goalie Daschel Pauly’s 12 saves.
Tucker Ives, for his part, made 11 saves, but also scored a rare goal.
Porter had his second consecutive three-goal outing as Mitchell scored twice and Bianco was held to a goal and two assists.
Chittenango was 3-5 but had won two in a row going into last Monday’s
game with Whitesboro but emerged from it with a 10-8 defeat, never quite able to overcome falling behind 4-1 after one period.
Cole Dawkins’ four goals kept the Bears close. Henry Miller notched four assists and Hunter Burrows had three assists as Peter Schulz scored twice. Norman Coomer had a single goal to match Miller and Connor Bradbury earned 18 saves.
Only two games remained for the Bears in the regular season, against Homer and Tully, as Cazenovia also takes on the Trojans this week after playing LaFayette/Onondaga.
Chittenango softball climbs into state Class A top 10
BY PhIL BLACKWELL
A series of impressive victories has pushed the Chittenango softball team into the top 10 of the latest state Class A rankings. Now it just wanted the rain to stop. And when it did last Thursday afternoon, the Bears were ready to pounce again, which it did in last Thursday’s game against AltmarParish-Williamstown when it put away the Rebels 13-1.
A five-run second inning and six-run third inning quickly ended the suspense, with Lauren Machan and Alivia Cavotta both smashing home runs and combining for five RBIs.
Julianna Coon, Isabella Battalina-McClusky and Hannah Machan each scored twice and got an RBI, with runs also driven in by Carmella Furco and Hannah Cretaro. Only allowing one hit, Lauren Machan and Julia Spencer combined for nine strikeouts.
After more rain fell on Friday, Chittenango was greeted by warm sunshine on Saturday and took full advantage of it, going to Westhill and pulling away late to beat the Warriors 15-6 for its 12th consecutive victory.
Five runs in the first two innings had the Bears out in front, but Westhill battled back and only trailed 8-5 until the top of the sixth, when Chittenango batted around and plated
seven runs.
Palko singled, doubled, tripled and drove in four runs. Coon had four of the Bears’ 13 hits, including a double, and got three RBIs while scoring twice as Lauren Machan got two RBIs. Cavotta scored three runs, with BattalinaMcClusky and Margaret Bielicki both scoring twice.
Cazenovia again benefited from having an all-weather field on hand for last Monday’s game against APW where it roared past the Rebels by the same 13-1 margin that Chittenango would get later in the week.
A two-run first inning got the Lakers in front for good and it was 3-1 when, in the bot-
tom of the fourth, Cazenovia got clear with a five-run outburst, adding five more runs an inning later. Sophia Wilmot tripled, doubled and got four RBIs, with Irie Gallerani adding a single and driving in two runs. Lucy Bliss and Madison Weeks added RBIs as Gallerani allowed just two hits in the five innings needed to close it out.
Then the Lakers faced state Class B no. 5-ranked Marcellus on Saturday and lost 8-2 to the Mustangs, who netted runs in five of the first six innings as Carly Sears and Janzen Long led the visitors driving in three runs apiece.
ThE PERSONAL POWER OF POP
We learn a lot in our lives. We don’t learn much in 45 seconds.
This latter time frame is what’s set aside for NBA coaches to answer questions from sideline reporters in the middle of nationally telecast games. At best it’s tolerated. At worst it’s an annoyance, which one coach realized.
Over and over again when asked to do these snippets he would answer with one or two words. Or with a snarky remark. Or wonder why there wasn’t a second question, or something else which quickly got viral.
Some saw this as rudeness or lack of grace. A few though it was hilarious. Others correctly saw it as Gregg Popovich putting the nonsense in its proper place.
Pop preferred to coach, to teach, and he did it better than anyone.
More wins – 1,592 in the regular regular season and playoffs – than any coach in NBA history, all with the San Antonio Spurs. Five championships spread out over 16 seasons. And an influence which went way beyond jump shots and defensive sets.
Hardly a product of any basketball factory, Popovich went to…the Air Force Academy,
Send your events to Alyssa Dearborn at adearborn@eaglenewsonline.com. Notices must have the date, time and location of the event. The deadline for submissions is 10 a.m. on Friday for the following week’s editions.
SATURDAY, MAY 17
TACNY Junior Café Scientifique
9:30 a.m. The MOST, Downtown Syracuse. Con-
l From page 1
munity.
“It is not an easy balance to strike, but it is our priority as we work towards ‘Discovering Tomorrow Together,’” DiFulvio said.
According to Assistant Superintendent/ School Business Official Thomas Finnerty, the proposed budget represents a 5.26 percent increase over the 2024-25 budget and calls for a tax levy increase of 6.77 percent. Because the proposed 2025-26 tax levy increase is above CCSD’s calculated tax levy limit of 3.14 percent, a supermajority of voters — 60 percent or more — will need to approve the budget for it to pass.
The proposed 6.77 percent tax levy increase is less than the 7.55 percent increase the district had been discussing for the past couple of months.
Finnerty explained that New York State’s long-overdue 2025-26 budget, which was finally settled on May 8, entitles the district to more state aid than Governor Kathy Hochul’s initial budget proposal. The more state aid included in the district’s 2025-26 revenue budget, the more CCSD can reduce its tax levy.
When discussing the estimated impact of a proposed 6.77 percent tax levy increase, Finnerty explained that many factors affect an individual’s tax bill, including the total amount of taxable property in the district, assessments, exemptions, equalization rates, and the tax levy.
“What I am going to show you tonight is my projected worst-case scenario, [where] absolutely nothing from this year’s tax calculation to next year’s calculation is changing, except for the tax levy,” he said. “That is so not likely to happen, but it is the best I can do. I can’t tell you what is going to happen with assessments, I can’t tell you what is going to happen with any exemptions you are entitled to, I can’t tell you what is going to happen with the state equalization rates. . . . Any of those things can change, making my estimation moot.”
Finnerty estimates that if the proposed 2025-26 budget is approved and only the tax levy changes, taxpayers would see their bills increase by $98 per $100,000 of true/market value compared to 2024-25.
“We are extremely frugal; we are extremely careful,” Finnerty said. “We have been for years. We always take into consideration the community, because 60 percent of our revenue comes from the taxpayer. [Not] only is our tax rate low, but our expenditure per child is low.”
If the proposed 2025-26 budget fails, the BOE can choose to put the same budget up for a vote a second time, put a revised budget up for a vote, or go directly to a contin-
then served five years in the USAF itself and toured through the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc while the Cold War still raged.
Coaching was something he picked up and didn’t make much money from it until Larry Brown at Kansas took him in as an assistant in the mid-1980s. A few years later, when Brown went to the Spurs. Pop went with him.
By late 1996 Gregg was the Spurs’ GM, frustrated at his team being unable to get all the way to the top even with David Robinson, so he fired Bob Hill, installed himself….and never left until a stroke late last year forced him into a long recovery and his ultimate decision to step aside.
Oh, a lot happened in those 29 years. The end of the Michael Jordan era, the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, LeBron and the Decision and Golden State’s dynasty. But the Spurs were something close to a constant.
Yeah, it helped that San Antonio won the 1997 Draft Lottery to get Tim Duncan, a perfect match of coach and player willing to learn, adapt and stay humble. The first ring came two years later.
Much more followed, in part because
tinental breakfast at 9:15 a.m. “Secret Messages with Encryption”. Following the program explore the museum. Free.
THURSDAY, MAY 15
CazArts’ Annual Meeting
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Cazenovia Public Library. The meeting will include introducing the new executive director, artist Mary Padgett presenting about her
gency budget.
Popovich saw where the game was going. All those years abroad showed him that good basketball players were present far beyond American borders.
It was no accident that so many of the Spurs’ best teams featured Tony Parker from France, Manu Ginobli from Argentina, plus Tiago Splitter, Boris Diaw, Patty Mills and other key contributors to championship efforts. Now every NBA team is expected to have some kind of international presence.
Once in San Antonio, your experience was like no other. Pop worked his players hard in practice and had them play a game with far more substance than style, all the while making sure in film sessions his best players got the most criticism because he knew they could take it.
Yet Pop didn’t keep his interests narrow.
Road trips for the Spurs included dinners and field trips for educational purposes where basketball was never discussed. Later in his career Pop spoke out much more on social issues, which infuriated the crowd who never likes anyone speaking out unless, of course, they agree with what’s being said.
travels, and planning for the future.
THURSDAY, JUNE 5
Italian Artist Series: Genius of Leonardo Da Vinci
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Cazenovia Public Library.
MONDAY, JUNE 9
Italian Artist Series: Raphael 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Cazenovia Public Library.
If the revote fails, the board must enact a contingency budget with no tax levy increase. According to Finnerty, that would require cutting $1,548,081 from the expenditures budget. A contingency budget would also mean no equipment or bus purchases and cutting other non-contingent items, such as sports, clubs, conferences, certain supplies, or the free public use of facilities. The district would also need to cut $1,195,477 from the program budget, $180,151 from the capital budget, and $172,453 from the administrative budget to comply with the legal requirements of a contingency budget.
Electric bus discussion
One of the questions addressed during the budget hearing focused on the district’s decision to propose purchasing clean diesel and gas buses instead of electric vehicles (EVs), despite the state’s goal of transitioning to a fully electric school bus fleet by 2035.
“The state, in its latest budget, did approve two things,” said DiFulvio. “One is a waiver that Cazenovia would likely be eligible for that would delay the electric buses. Second, there is a new standard that the bus companies are going to be held to, [which], right now, they are not being held to.”
According to the superintendent, the bus companies will be required to contribute to studies that help districts assess the feasibility and costs of electrification; the cost of such studies currently falls completely on the school districts.
Finnerty stated that although EV buses are rated for 100 to 120 miles, the reality is closer to 80 miles.
According to Finnerty, CCSD has been awarded a $220,500 grant through the New York School Bus Incentive Program to go towards the purchase of a zero-emission school bus; however, the EV bus would still cost considerably more than the buses proposed this year. Finnerty reported that he has applied for one other program that could provide additional funding for an EV bus, and he noted that Cazenovia does not qualify for some funding sources.
“[Regarding electric buses,] we’ve just been of the mindset that maybe, in this case, we don’t want to lead the way; we want to see how this is going to play out,” Finnerty said. “. . . For us, it has been mostly the costprohibitive nature of them. We are certainly cognizant of our environment, [and I] think we [shouldn’t] lose sight of that, but if I want to put three electric buses on the ballot, we are looking at $1.65 million, instead of $658,000, because I have to put full price out there.”
DiFulvio added that the cost does not in-
To those folks, and to those who only judged him through his patented sideline interview shtick, Pop had no time. He cared far more about the important things, and the important lessons of life, which produced so many great players and a steady stream of assistants who went on to other head coaching gigs.
Cliché as it is to say there won’t be another Gregg Popovich, come on. Will anyone coach any single NBA team for nearly three decades? Even the slightest bobble or discontent can bring down the axe, even on good, titlewinning coaches.
So appreciate what Popovich achieved as a total human being with the coaching part a very small percentage of that story. Given this perspective, you only make a big deal out of a 45-second interview when you don’t have much else to say – or to offer – to a world which involves a lot more than putting a ball through a hoop.
Phil Blackwell is sports editor at Eagle News. He can be reached at pblackwell@ eaglenewsonline.com.
clude the infrastructure upgrades required to add EV buses to the district’s fleet. Additional information on the annual school budget vote and school board election is available on the district website.
Anyone not directly affiliated with CCSD can sign up for the ParentSquare Community Group to receive newsletters and other information.
Sign up at parentsquare.com/community_signups/94dc9c19-0570-4ecd-bd7a-868cb499bc46/new.
CCSD BOE meetings are open to the public, and community members are encouraged to attend. Meeting dates are listed on the district website and the school calendar. For more information, visit cazenoviacsd.com/board. To contact the entire board, email boe@caz.cnyric.org.
A plan for success on the golf
course
A er the short spell of mid Summer weather in March, you will have to admit that it has been very di cult trying to gure out a schedule to practice and play some holes to get in shape for the up coming season. It is easy to be distracted from our enthusiastic anticipation of having a good season. It is also easy to allow the bad weather to create negative thoughts in our mind. How important are your “Mental Skills” when the weather is playing mind games with the “frontal lobe” of our central nervous system that is responsible for; thinking, planning and decision making? You’re right…it’s major and necessary.
I believe all of the great golfers in history had the willingness and ability to prioritize their attention on certain words that put them at another level of thought that made them great. e words are easily recognizable but can we, as “average” golfers, apply them to our level of golf and use them to help us become better? To this I say, absolutely “YES”! e more we apply them “every time” we play a round of golf, the more we will improve.
e “5” Best Words For Golf and Life… Embrace the word CONFIDENCE…
If you don’t believe you can make that 4 putt…hit a green from 120 yards…or get up and down from a bunker, there is no way you can. Believe in yourself by using “self talk” when these situations come up during your round. No one has to know what you are saying to yourself and no one has to know why you hit a good shot. You don’t have to disclose anything. It’s nobody’s business but yours.
Understand the word PATIENCE…
Is patience necessary to deal with disappointment and frustration during your round? Let’s put it this way…no other word in the English language is more important when dealing with your mistakes on the course than patience. e next time you make a critical mistake during a round, try laughing at yourself and count to ten before you say a word to your playing partners. When you are able to do this on a regular basis, you will be well on your way to becoming a mid to low handicap golfer.
Strive for RESILIENCE…
e best way to acknowledge resilience during your round is to document what you do a er a bad hole. For example, making a double bogey, a er going bogey, bogey, bogey, does not identify nor de ne the word resilience. Making a birdie on a hole, following a double bogey, would be considered the ultimate “bounce back” that clearly identi es the word resilience. Believe it. Good holes will follow bad holes more o en
Develop a positive ATTITUDE…
Having a positive attitude isn’t always easy, but it’s necessary for success in golf, especially when competing under pressure. Playing golf with an optimistic attitude will result in better scores, no matter what your handicap. Be Humble in Victory…Gracious in Defeat. FOCUS…
e task of staying focused during an “entire” round of golf is one of the most di cult things to accomplish for a golfer. I have only done it once. e key is to acknowledge that there will be distractions and that you should deal with them as soon as they occur during your round. How? Close your eyes when you look down the fairway from behind the ball and visualize yourself at your favorite pastime. Address the ball with “light to mid” pressure on the grip. Before you start your backswing, FOCUS on only “1” swing thought. Fire away!
No sport is easy to master….especially golf.
Do not allow yourself to ever quit trying to apply these “5” wonderful, superb, rst class words to your golf game. It will be worth your time and e ort in ways you will be able to measure.
“ e only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course”….Billy Graham (Evangelist)
