THE POST-STANDARD Wednesday, February 9, 2011 THE POST-STANDARD PAGE A-3

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NYSEG awards grant

for Tessy expansion
New York State Electric
and Gas awarded a
$400,000 grant to Tessy
Plastics to help with Tes-
sy’s $12 million expansion
of its manufacturing facility
in Elbridge, the utility an-
nounced Tuesday.
The expansion will help
protect 50 existing jobs and
create 50 new positions,
according to the utility.
The award is part of $12
million in annual economic
development programs paid
for by ratepayers of
NYSEG and its sister utili-
ty, Rochester Gas &
Electric, under the terms of
rate agreements approved in
2010 by the state Public
Service Commission.
Man was defending himself, jury rules
Jeffrey Peterson found not guilty ‘‘This was a very challenging case
from the very beginning,’’ defense
of the murder of Shaheen Bean. lawyer Edward Menkin said. ‘‘I don’t
think charges should have been
By Jim O’Hara brought against Jeffrey Peterson.’’
Staff writer
Peterson and Bean struggled outside
An Onondaga County Court jury de- the front door of the Peterson home at
liberated about two hours before find- 2501 E. Genesee St., about 4:40 a.m.
ing Jeffrey Peterson not guilty of mur- June 26. Peterson and his wife, Oasis
der in the fatal shooting of Shaheen Sykes-Peterson, were returning home
Bean. from a party and an early breakfast
The verdict came with friends when a man dressed in
less than 10 minutes dark clothing rushed out of the dark-
after the jury had ness at them with a gun in his hand.
Judge Joseph Fahey Law enforcement authorities have
re-explain the legal said they believe Bean was trying to
elements of murder rob the Petersons. They contend Peter-
and of justification. son was justified in his actions in
The defense has con- struggling with Bean, during which
tended from the out- Bean reportedly was shot in the leg and
Bean set that Peterson was disabled. But the prosecution tried to
defending himself and his wife from prove that Peterson then executed Bean
armed attack by Bean when Bean was by firing a final bullet into the back of
killed in a struggle over his gun. his head as Bean lay face down on the
ground.
That’s what eyewitness Debbie Kin-
sey testified she saw as she crossed the
street toward the two men after hearing
shots fired the morning of the shooting.
The district attorney’s office had
charged Peterson with second-degree
murder. Chief Assistant District Attor-
ney Christine Garvey did not return
calls for comment.
Menkin said the verdict was a clear
finding that Peterson was justified in
his conduct defending against Bean.
Menkin said Peterson was ‘‘very
gratified’’ by the outcome. But Peter-
son remains in custody facing a parole
violation, based on being out in viola-
tion of a curfew the morning of the
shooting, Menkin said.
The verdict set off a raucous melee
in the hallway outside the courtroom,
Menkin said.
A member of Bean’s family began
shouting threats in the courtroom and a
disturbance broke out when Bean’s
family left the courtroom and encoun-
tered members of Peterson’s family
who were coming back to the court-
room, he said.
Menkin said he was told that at least
one person on each side was charged
with disorderly conduct. Several peo-
ple were briefly detained by court offi-
cers until order was restored. Peter-
son’s wife was attacked by the Bean
group in the hallway outside the court-
room, Menkin said.
Sykes-Peterson is due back in Fa-
hey’s court today to face a pending
perjury count, from when she gave tes-
timony in her husband’s murder case.
She was charged with perjury based on
her account of what happened to Bean
being contradicted by eyewitness Kin-
sey. Menkin said he thinks the perjury
count should be dismissed based on the
acquittal of her husband.

In Central New York,

NYSEG provides service in
parts of western Onondaga Spike in
gifts sign
County, southern Cayuga
County, and southern Madi-
son County.

11 schools line up
for Festival of Drums
of better
Percussion lines from 11
Upstate New York schools
times
will take part in the annual
Festival of Drums Saturday
CNY foundation benefits
afternoon at Jordan-El- from significant generosity
bridge High School, 5721 by the community.
Hamilton Road, Jordan.
By James T. Mulder
The winter drum line Staff writer
contest will include percus- Donations to the Central
sion lines from several local New York Community Foun-
school districts, including dation nearly tripled in the last
Baldwinsville, Central three months
Square, Cicero-North Syra- of 2010, re-
cuse, Jordan-Elbridge, Liv- flecting an
erpool and Phoenix. increase in
economic
The doors to the gymna- optimism,
sium open at 12.30 p.m.; according to
the show begins at 1 p.m. a foundation
official.
Tickets cost $6 for The foun-
adults. DANCERS STRUT their stuff at the ninth annual Father/Daughter Valentine Ball Tuesday night at the Empire Room dation col- Dunn
The concession stand of the New York State Fairgrounds. lected $5.17 million in the
fourth quarter of 2010, up from
will be open and raffle tick-

A Night
$1.95 million received in the
ets will be sold at the show. same period of 2009. The final
The Jordan-Elbridge three months of the year, espe-
Marching Eagles Band cially December, is often the
Boosters and the 2011 Jor- busiest time of the year for

On the
charities.
dan-Elbridge indoor winter ‘‘There is some more eco-
percussion ensemble will nomic optimism,’’ said Peter
host the show. Dunn, president and CEO of
the foundation.
Memorial will honor

‘Invincible’ classmate
A memorial service will
be held Feb. 19 for a former
Jordan-Elbridge resident
who died of complications
from cystic fibrosis Jan. 16.
Peter Lunn, known as
‘‘Superman’’ and ‘‘Invinci-
ble’’ for never letting the
disease take hold of his life,
was 32 years old.
The memorial is being
organized by Darcy Beers
and Carrie Mocyk , two
members of Jordan-El-
bridge High School’s 1997
graduating class, and
Lunn’s family.
Lunn attended Jordan-El-
bridge until his junior year,
when he moved to Florida.
Despite his being away for
so long, childhood friends
had been able to keep in
touch with him over the last
few years via Facebook,
Beers said.
‘‘You only had to meet
him once for him to make
an impact on your life,’’
she said.
The memorial and lun-
cheon will be at noon Feb.
19 at the Teen Center on
Town
Staff report
Central New York fathers and
daughters took to the dance floor
Tuesday night to raise money for Up-
state Golisano Children’s Hospital in
Syracuse.
More than 700 people gathered at
the Fairgrounds for the ninth annual
Father/Daughter Valentine Ball. The
ball is expected to raise about $30,000.
The ball is designed for girls 3 years
old and up and their fathers (or grand-
fathers, uncles or other men in their
lives). Some girls have been attending
for years, said Toni Gary, community
relations director for the children’s
hospital.
‘‘It’s a nice quality time they can
spend with their girls,’’ she said. ‘‘It is
really interactive.’’
The ball includes dancing, entertain-
ment, magicians and a silent auction. It
is organized by Eastside Vineyard
Church to benefit pediatric cancer care
at the hospital.
PHOTOS BY
GARY WALTS /
THE POST-STANDARD
For a gallery of photos, go
to syracuse.com/photos.
Many gifts of stock, real es-
tate and other assets to the
foundation are motivated by
capital gains. People had more
capital gains in 2010 because
investment markets improved,
Dunn said. The foundation re-
ceived significant gifts of stock
in the fourth quarter, he said.
Stock gifts had dried up during
2009, he said.
During the fourth quarter,
DAN SEIDBERG, of Manlius, dances with his daughters Meghan, 7, (left) and the foundation received 800 in-
Ashley, 3. dividual gifts of cash and
stock, up from 570 during the
same quarter in 2009, and es-
tablished 19 new donor-advis-
ed, field-of-interest and schol-
arship funds. The foundation
has more than 500 funds that
are pooled and invested to
grow over time. It is the re-
gion’s largest endowed philan-
thropic foundation.
The foundation’s fiscal year
ends March 31. It has collected
about $7 million so far this fis-
cal year, about $1 million more
than it collected in the last fis-
cal year.
‘‘It’s a reminder that people
here are charitable,’’ he said.
‘‘That will have an impact on
the community as a whole.’’
The foundation awards
about $5 million a year in
grants to nonprofit organiza-
tions involved in human ser-
RUSTY HAAS, of LaFayette, lifts his daughter Leah, 3, on the dance floor. vices, arts and culture, educa-
tion, environment, health,
economic development and

SIDA must sign off on mall, bank deal

Route 31 in Jordan.
For more information, or
to make a donation toward
his memorial, contact Car-
rie Mocyk at 263-0302 or
clynmocyk@yahoo.com.
Got news?
Call The Post-Standard’s
tip line at 470-0600 if you
have news or stories you
want us to pursue. You can
also e-mail us at city-
news@syracuse.com.
— Staff reports
civic affairs.
‘‘Our grants budget has
been stable over the last sever-
al years at a time when a lot of
other sources of funding have
Agreement between the deal was not quite final. sent is required because it said. ‘‘There’s a great deal of declined or been under pres-
Turns out, it wasn’t. owns the mall property for tax confidentiality involved with
Citigroup, Destiny affects William Ryan, chairman of purposes. this settlement. So that’s why
sure,’’ Dunn said.
The foundation has given
stalled expansion project. the Syracuse Industrial Devel- The industrial development there’s been a lot of silence be- more than $100 million to non-
By Rick Moriarty
opment Agency and director of agency’s approval also would cause we don’t want it to be profits since it was established
operations for the city of Syra- be needed if the settlement in- viewed that our speaking of in 1927. At the same time, it
Staff writer cuse, said Tuesday the agency cludes restructuring the $155 this agreement has in any way manages about $110 million in
When developer Robert must approve the settlement million construction loan for had an impact on the set- assets. Dunn said the founda-
Congel and a bank announced between Congel’s Destiny Destiny that was at the heart of tlement.’’ tion’s returns on those assets
in December they settled a USA and Citigroup Global their legal battle. Ryan said the agency’s law- have improved as investment
legal fight that had held up the Markets Realty before it be- ‘‘There is a need for SIDA yers are looking over the set- markets have stabilized.
Carousel Center expansion for comes effective. to sign on as a party to the set- tlement agreement and may Contact James T. Mulder at
a year and a half, they hinted Ryan said the agency’s con- tlement agreement,’’ Ryan LAWSUIT, PAGE A-6 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com.