New York state briefs

Deepest fear becomes reality

JASPER - It was the saddest possible news for this Steuben County community: At a 5:45 p.m. press conference Monday at Jasper-Troupsburg High School, all were informed that four students missing since early Saturday morning had been found dead.

State Police Maj. Stephen White, from Troop E, said a passing motorist had noticed the teens' vehicle around 3:05 p.m. Monday, overturned in Bennett's Creek off Route 248. The discovery, three miles south of Canisteo, ended a massive three-day search that included students and many other members of the community.

The four found dead were David Cady, 17; Jered Fry, 15; and Tiara O'Dell, 17, all current Jasper-Troupsburg students, as well as Joey Lubberts, 21, a 2005 J-T graduate.

The crash apparently happened just hours after Tiara O'Dell, was crowned Jasper-Troupsburg's homecoming princess.

State police said the vehicle, a 2000 Chevrolet Metro, appeared to have left the roadway at a high rate of speed, struck a bridge abutment and landed upside down in the stream, where it was spotted in low water by a passing motorist. The search had included hundreds of volunteers as well as emergency responders and a helicopter.

Troopers said the four were at a party at about 2 a.m. Saturday on Grass Hill in Jasper and were last spotted in Canisteo around 3 a.m.

Rights vs. right of way

IRONDEQUOIT - Another election, another brouhaha over the disappearance of political lawn signs.

"I feel that someone is being selective with the number of signs being taken down," said Katie Comella after signs were removed from her lawn and from the lawn of a rental property she owns just over the town line in the city of Rochester just before the Sept. 18 primary election.

"It's just too coincidental," Comella said.

That's just what it is, says Wally Becker, a town Department of Public Works foreman who removes such signs.

"It not like that, a directive from upstairs," Becker said of removing the signs. "I just feel strongly about rights of way." Becker said that he picks up not only political lawn signs, but also real estate and garage sale signs, business signs, "for rent" signs, and more.

Becker added that he doesn't discriminate - if a sign is in a right of way, he removes it.

He estimated Tuesday that he currently has about 150 signs at the town highway garage and about 30 of them are political signs for candidates from both major parties. Those who want their signs back need only stop at the DPW highway operations center to pick them up.

Mayor just up and quits

WEBSTER - A week after he resigned and walked out in the middle of a Village Board meeting, it's now official.

Mayor Jack Judge turned in his letter of resignation Oct. 1, to Village Clerk Kathy Vendel.

Judge did not return several calls for comment in the week since his walk-out. Last Friday, his wife, Libby, said, "As he stated last night he is tired of the attacks. He's tired of all the issues that are not being resolved."

Vendel had asked the mayor to reconsider before he formally resigned.

"I was campaigning - hoping the mayor would not resign, but unfortunately he did," said Vendel.

Judge, 79, took office in March 2005. He quit his post after a long controversy among Village Board members over an unpaid legal bill.

Attorney James Holahan of the Rochester-based Ward Norris Heller and Reidy LLP, was originally consulted because of a dispute involving Judge and Trustee Patricia Cataldi. After conducting an investigation following the complaint in 2006, which claimed employee files had been removed from Village Hall, the attorney charged the village $12,000 for his work.

According to Trustee Jake Swingly, Judge had aannounced that he tried to personally pay the lawyer's bill by sending an $8,000 personal check to the law firm. His check was denied and sent back.

The Village Board will have to appoint someone to take on the duties of mayor until an election can be held next spring.