UTICA, N.Y.– The retrial for a woman who was charged with killing her boss who was also her ex boyfriend’s mother. Kaitlyn Conley was initially charged with second-degree murder of Mary Yoder. Conley’s first trial ended in may as a mistrial when the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
Prosecutors say that Conley used an anti-inflammatory drug called colchicine to poison Yodor, who died in July 2015. The prosecution has proposed in both trials that Conley purchased the colchicine that was used to kill her boss and that there is evidence linking her to the vial used in the murder.
In the opening statement of the retrial, Conley’s new defense lawyer – Frank Policelli – argued that Yoder’s son Adam slipped the poison into his mother’s pills and then framed Conley according to New York Upstate.
The original trial lasted four full days according to a report from syracuse.com. The trial is expected to last a couple of weeks.
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Fall foliage peaks at SUNY Oswego
By Renee Dunn
OSWEGO, N.Y– Autumn is considered by some people as one of the most beautiful times of the year because of leaves changing, and the peak of Fall is here in Oswego. Strong leaf colors are being expected for several sections of Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Oswego counties this week.
According to I Love NY.com, the Thousand Islands-Seaway region of New York, which includes Oswego County, will experience 80 to nearly 100 percent leaf color change this week. This means that oak, maple, and sweetgum trees will be bright shades of red, yellow and orange while fewer areas of muted green, orange and purple remain.
For the students of SUNY Oswego, this color change of foliage brings about many opportunities to explore all of the beauty the campus has to offer. SUNY Oswego’s outdoor club takes trips in the fall to view the leaves changing colors, which peak at different times around the state.
“The adirondacks start first so we got a jump start a few weeks ago in the adirondacks to see the peak. Now it’s in the central New York region, [so we] kind of just drift with the leaves to chase the peak colors for the best hikes for our club members,” Meteorology student and co-president of SUNY Oswego’s Outdoor’s club Zach Butler said.
Rice Creek Field Station also offers opportunities to watch the change in seasons. Rice Creek has trails that are open during daylight hours that can be used for viewing the changing of the leaves in the fall. Student’s can also educate themselves on the ecosystem of Rice Creek at the field station’s wildlife exhibit.
Other areas of New York, such as Long island, are still in their midpoint of color change and are expected to reach their peak later in the month.
For more information and to view a map of peak fall foliage, visit https://smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/. -
Rokerthon 3
by Daniel Manou
Oswego, NY- Today Show TV personality and Oswego State alum Al Roker returned the college on Mar. 31 as part of Rokerthon Three. Oswego State was the last stop on Rokerthon Three, which sent Roker to four other colleges during the week to break a Guinness World Record.
Oswego State’s world record was to have the world’s longest conga line on ice. The original record was held by the Ice Rink Canary Wharf in the United Kingdom with 353 people. Oswego State broke the record with 593 people.
Having Roker’s final stop be Oswego State, the visit had a little more meaning than the rest.
“It’s very exciting to end up having a week in Oswego. It’s very exciting and the school came through” he said.
In order to officially break the record students had to follow strict rules. The students must step in unison while holding the hips of the person in front of them for five minutes. If at any point the line broke, someone fell or messed up the moves, the attempt would be disqualified.
Organizing such an event took more effort than meets the eye, which Del Sarte President Allison Anthony learned when tasked with choreographing.
“It’s important that we all came together and found one pace and one way to communicate that works for everyone” she said. “Doing that with 500 plus people was challenging but we got it done”.
Before the conga line could even happen, Anthony and the school advertised the recruitment of skaters and held practices to teach them the moves. Making the decision to participate in the record breaking attempt was easy for most people but were based on several different motives.
For students like Ethan Magram, the thrill of being having a world record in his back pocket was enough.
“I can’t wait to look back and say I broke a world record with some of my best friends, met one of the most favorite news personalities, and I’m going to remember this forever” he said.
Others such as freshman Hannah Enigh, had a strong admiration for Roker. She saw him as a role model in her pursuit to become a broadcast meteorologist.
“I was very excited to want to be a part of something Al Roker was a part of because that was one of the main reasons I came to Oswego, to be a meteorologist and broadcasting major” Enigh said.
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Fruit Valley Orchards-Family Fun For All!
Local family owned orchard closes after a great crop season but continues to sell their delicious apples throughout the winter to the public and to SUNY Oswego as well. Not only do they sell apples but they also sell vibrant red cherries. Along with selling to the public and SUNY Oswego Fruit Valley Orchards also picks and produces apples for popular apple-based products brand Motts.
Although the Orchard has been around for many years it has recently been under new ownership for the Gfeller family from Northern Virginia. Owner and farmer Craig Gfeller said that he came to upstate New York to raise his family on a farm much like he did in Rochester. They purchased the land last July in 2017 and have been roaring ever since.
They’ve been able to rake in tons of families to their beautiful orchard with their U-pick program, when asked what family friendly activities they offer at the orchard Craig responded with “We offer a lot of activities here, mostly just U-pick right now,we have families that come and have picnics here, just a great way of spending the afternoon as a family.”
The crop season has been a little short this year due to the fact that not much rain had been around Oswego in the early fall months. However the orchard was still able to grow a great crop under the conditions they had. They grew and sold some of the same apples like Macintosh but also sold new apples to the orchard like Snap Dragon bred by Cornell University where Craig is an alum from.
If you would like to check out Fruit Valley Orchards you can visit their website www.fruitvalleyorchard.com or call them at 315-342-3793. They open again next fall but continue to sell their remaining crop throughout the winter. Get the while they last!
