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LOCAL&BUSINESSROCHESTER, NEW YORK FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010

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Bear spotted inPerinton again

A black bear was againspotted in Perinton thisweek.

According to the stateDepartment of Environ-mental Conservation, aperson reported seeing ablack bear along thesouth side of Route 31,about a half-mile west ofEgypt, on Tuesday.

The sighting comesabout three weeks after ablack bear was spottedwandering through Iron-dequoit, Pittsford andPerinton.

It was not known ifTuesday’s sighting wasthe same bear.

Portion of roadto be closed

A half-mile stretch ofEast Henrietta Road inRochester will be closedfor about a month start-ing Monday.

The southbound lanesof East Henrietta Road,between Mt. Hope andSouth avenues, will closeto motorists Mondaythrough Aug. 13 becauseof road construction inthe area, according to cityofficials. The northboundlanes will remain open.

Motorists should ex-pect delays on East Hen-rietta Road. A detour willbe posted for southboundmotorists.

Rebate checksin the mail

The federal govern-ment has mailed the sec-ond batch of $250 checksto Medicare recipients,this time to the latestgroup of people whoseprescription drugs ex-penses were high enoughto send them into the PartD “doughnut hole,” offi-cials said Thursday.

People who qualify thisyear will get one tax-freerebate mailed to theirusual address. For moreinformation, go towww.HealthCare.gov orcall (800) 633-4227.

Man stabbedon RTS bus

Rochester police areinvestigating a stabbingthat occurred Wednesdaynight on a RochesterTransit Service bus.

Officers were called to195 E. Main St. about 9:10p.m. after a 20-year-oldman was stabbed in hisabdomen, said OfficerStephen Scott.

The man, whose namewas not released, toldofficers that he was stand-ing at the bus stop whenhe was jumped by severalmen. He told police thathe tried to get away byboarding a stopped bus.One of the men followedhim and stabbed him witha kitchen knife.

No one else was in-jured, Scott said, and thesuspects fled. The manwas taken to Strong Me-morial Hospital and wastreated and released. ❑

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Melva Brown likes tosay that the RochesterEducational OpportunityCenter that she heads is a“comma, not a period,”meaning that the center isa pathway to opportuni-ties rather than the end of

a journey.Ivan Roman, 25, of

Rochester can speak fromexperience, since thisJohn Marshall HighSchool graduate is now inthe center’s licensed prac-tical nursing program.

“It’s definitely a fit forme,” said Roman about

how the tuition-free cen-ter meets his needs.

The center will becomea more visible part of thedowntown Rochesterlandscape when it movesinto its new quarters — afive-story building at 161Chestnut St., located nearESL Federal CreditUnion’s corporate offices.

A ceremonial ground-breaking was held Thurs-day for the renovation of

this building. A total of$32.9 million in statemoney has been appropri-ated for the project.

“The new facility will

be a beacon for those ingeneral education andworkforce developmentprograms,” said DanielBarton of BHNT Archi-tects, which designed therenovations

By late 2011, the build-ing is expected to beready for use.

Many of the speakers atThursday’s ceremony

New digs for training site■ $32 million renovation begins forEducational Opportunity Center.JAMES GOODMANSTAFF WRITER

RENOVATION, PAGE 4B

MelvaBrownExecutivedirector ledplanningfor theeducationcenter.

The face of a Chili man missingwith little trace since 2007 is nowprinted on a playing card in a deckfeaturing the faces of missing peo-ple from across New York State.

Brian Sullivan was last seen onJuly 7, 2007 at a Gates Burger Kingon Chili Avenue. He was 19 yearsold at the time of his disappearance.

The search for information aboutwhat happened to the Churchville-Chili High School graduate con-tinues. In the past three years, thefamily has posted rewards, printedhundreds of shirts and even put hispicture on billboards. But little in-formation has emerged despite theeffort.

Now, Sullivan’s parents hope aneffort to distribute playing cards toinmates holds the key to findingtheir son.

“We just need help,” said BarbaraSullivan, Brian’s mother. “We don’tknow what else to do. There is onlyso much we can do and we do relyon the public.”

Brian disappeared with little

trace after spending the eveningwith friends. He was last seen leav-ing the Burger King in Gates onChili Avenue after buying breakfastat 5:30 a.m. Sullivan’s 1995 PontiacSunfire was found on a nearby road.

His wallet was inside the car.The case is under investigation

by the Monroe County Sheriff ’s Of-fice. Capt. Drew Forsythe, of the de-partment’s Criminal InvestigationService, said it is a source of frustra-tion for investigators because of alack of helpful leads.

“We have put in a lot of resourcesand time and effort into this,” hesaid. “Most of us have families andchildren and we understand thepain they are going through, and asprofessionals it makes it worsewhen we can’t give (Sullivan’s fam-ily) answers.”

The playing cards are an effort bythe Center for Hope, an organiza-tion that helps the families of miss-ing persons and unsolved

Barbara Sullivan, whose son disappeared three years ago, confers with Monroe County Sheriff’s DepartmentCaptain Drew Forsythe, who said investigators have been frustrated because of a lack of helpful leads.

JEFFREY BLACKWELL staff photographer

Family hopes jailhouse cardsspur leads on missing son

Brian Sullivan appears on the 3 ofspades in decks of playing cardsbeing distributed to inmates in theMonroe County Jail.

JEFFREY BLACKWELL staff photographer

SULLIVAN, PAGE 4B

JEFFREY BLACKWELLSTAFF WRITER How to help

Anyone with information aboutthe disappearance of Brian Sullivanshould call 911 or the MonroeCounty Sheriff’s Office at 753-4900.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schu-mer was wearing sun-screen Thursday — butnot one containing retinylpalmitate — on the sunnyboardwalk at OntarioBeach Park in Rochester.

The New York Demo-crat cited studies suggest-ing that the inactive ingre-dient, a derivative of vita-min A added to many sun-screens, could cause skincancer.

“It would be ironic,

very ironic, if the verysunscreen we put on toprotect against skin can-cer might actually causeit,” said Schumer, callingon the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration to take ac-tion.

The possible link hasbeen suggested by studiesdating back to 1985 by aca-demic scientists and bythe FDA, which regulates

sunscreen and cosmetics.The Environmental Work-ing Group, an advocacyorganization, said thatsince 2000, FDA re-searchers have published17 studies and science re-views on the toxicity andchemistry of retinyl pal-mitate on the skin. Onestudy of mice exposed tothe equivalent of up tonine minutes of brightsunlight per day for up toone year found that tu-mors and lesions devel-oped up to 21 percent

faster if the mice werecoated with cream con-taining retinyl palmitate.

The EWG in May calledon the FDA to rulewhether the substance iscarcinogenic in sunlight.In response, the FDAwrote: “It is premature todraw conclusions fromthe study at this time.FDA will always take thenecessary action to en-sure consumers have ac-cess only to safe and

Schumer warns of sunscreen dangerCHRIS SWINGLESTAFF WRITER

SCHUMER, PAGE 4B

Inside Schumer toutsregional wines for WhiteHouse dinners. 5B

Former Greece PoliceChief Merritt Rahn wantsto be treated like any otherstate prison inmate, ac-cording to his lawyer.

Attorney John Parrinel-lo, who represented Rahn,said Thursday that he isconcerned that Rahn, 61,could be imprisoned in anoverly restrictive protec-tive unit in which hespends almost the entireday isolated.

As a nonviolent offenderwithout a criminal past,Rahn should be eligible fora minimum-security campat Groveland CorrectionalFacility in LivingstonCounty, Parrinello said.

Corrections officials saythey have protective cus-tody units in which in-mates do eat and recreatewith others in the samesections. Those inmatesare also allowed prisonjobs. Oftentimes, law en-forcement officials orprominent individuals endup in those units for theirprotection.

Rahn is eligible for thosefacilities “as long as he’sconvicted of a nonviolentcrime,” said Department ofCorrectional Servicesspokeswoman Linda Fo-glia.

Rahn, convicted of fourfelonies and three misde-meanors, is a nonviolentfelon.

A jury decided that hetried to torpedo an investi-gation into the crimes ofan off-duty police sergeantand that he helped fabri-cate a background checkof a prospective Greecepolice officer.

State Supreme CourtJustice Francis Affronti onTuesday sentenced Rahnto 12⁄3 to 5 years in prison.

Parrinello said he is con-cerned that a protectivecustody designation couldprevent Rahn’s eligibilityfor work-release or otherprograms.

Foglia said that likelywouldn’t be the case.

There is a stringent pro-tective unit at the maxi-mum-security ClintonCorrectional Facility inClinton County, but that isdesignated for violent of-fenders.

Rahn is being held at theLivingston County Jail,awaiting transfer to stateprison.

Rahn is even willing tosign a waiver ensuring thathe would take no legal ac-tion against the state if heis placed in general pop-ulation and victimized,Parrinello said. ❑

GCRAIG@DemocratandChronicle.com

Rahn asksto be heldin generalprison unitGARY CRAIGSTAFF WRITER

User: mbuss/Time: 07-08-2010 23:21/Color: C: Used M: Used Y: Used K: Used/Prod: Democrat_and_Chronicle/Pub: 07-09-2010/Ed: Region/ B 1

4B FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010 DemocratandChronicle.com ■ DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE

however, is “on the righttrack,” Cuomo said.

“It didn’t sound like(Cuomo) totally boughtinto that approach on noovertime for your pen-sion,” said Brighton Su-pervisor Sandy Frankel,who attended the newsconference.

Mayor Robert Duffy hasadvocated for removingovertime from pensioncalculations. Duffy is Cu-omo’s running mate in theNovember gubernatorialelection. So far, however,Cuomo’s preliminary re-

port only suggests thatemployers institute over-time caps, move awayfrom seniority-based as-signments and centralizeovertime practices.

Frankel said a cap mightbe a better idea, question-ing whether employeesotherwise would be will-ing to accept overtimework on nights, weekendsand holidays.

As for her town beingincluded in the investiga-tion, Frankel attributedthat to recent spikes re-sulting from a settlementwith three highway de-partment foremen regard-ing unpaid overtime, andovertime resulting froman exhaustive, multi-stateinvestigation into the No-vember 2003 “smash andgrab” at Mann’s Jewelers.

Being added to the in-vestigation only meansthe attorney general’s of-fice is requesting payrollinformation to get a broadlook at possible pensionabuses. More than 90 gov-ernments and agenciesstatewide are being sam-pled, including the city ofRochester and the St. PaulBoulevard, Henrietta andRidge Road fire districts.

Cuomo also stopped inBuffalo and Syracuse onThursday. ❑

BDSHARP@DemocratandChronicle.com

officials. Teachers have aseparate retirement fund.

Rochester’s pensioncontribution will go from$19.7 million this budgetyear (of which $13.5 mil-lion is for police and fire-fighters) to $29.2 millionnext year and $86.8 mil-lion in five years.

Cuomo said legislativeaction likely will beneeded but that he wantedto finish his investigationbefore spelling out anyspecific reform. Koon,

PensionFROM PAGE 3B To read earlier coverage

of Rochester public pen-sions and view a databaseof public salaries andpensions, go to RocDocs-.DemocratandChronicle-.com.

effective sun protectionproducts.”

Beach-goer Carolyn Re-iss, 63, of Greece, heardabout the concern,checked her sunscreenand saw retinyl palmitateamong the ingredients.She was still wearing it.“They should investigatemore to make sure there’sno harm, especially for

children,” she said.But Ozlem Culha, 29, of

Boston, who’d stopped atthe beach with her par-ents on their way backfrom Niagara Falls, saidshe’s more worried aboutthe health effects of thingswe ingest, such as addedcoloring and high-fruc-tose corn syrup.

The Personal CareProducts Council, a cos-metic trade group, saidthe safety and importanceof sunscreen use has beenemphasized by the FDA,

American Academy ofDermatology, the SkinCancer Foundation andthe Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention.The mice study didn’t in-clude sunscreen and itspreliminary data hasn’tundergone scientific peerreview, the trade groupnoted.

The EWG lists sun-screen ingredients byproduct atwww.ewg.org/2010sun-screen. ❑

CSWINGLE@DemocratandChronicle.com

SchumerFROM PAGE 1B

homicides. The cards aredesigned to be given tojail and prison inmates inhopes that a picture willjar the memory of some-one with informationabout the case.

This is the second edi-tion of the cards. The firstproduced eight solvedcases. Sullivan’s family ishopeful for an answer.They are donating 150packs to the sheriff ’s de-partment and the MonroeCounty Jail.

“We hope that Brianmay be one of the nexteight,” she said. “Thereare people who knowwhat happened to Brianand the more time thatpasses the worse it is, andwe feel that chance forfinding clues are gettingsmaller and smaller. Weare hoping to triggersomeone’s memory.”

The investigation con-tinues and investigatorshave tracked down morethan 100 leads and tipswith no success. Forsythesaid they need fresh leadsto move the investigationforward. He said foul playis possible in the case, butthere is no evidence tosupport any one theory.

“Obviously we are clas-sifying this as a missingpersons investigation, butthere is a possibility of

foul play occurred thatday,” he said.

Barbara Sullivan, herhusband Dan, and theirfamily are hopeful for an-swers. They are on theInternet every day keep-ing Brian’s name in thepublic. They also keep hiscell phone active. It wasnot found in Sullivan’s car.

“We call it every so of-ten just to hear his voice,”she said. ❑

JBLACKWELL@DemocratandChronicle.com

SullivanFROM PAGE 1B

Local connectionsThe second edition of the Center for Hope playing

cards includes several missing people connected tothe Rochester area:

■ Three of spades: Brian Sullivan was 19 when hedisappeared from Gates in 2007.

■ Three of diamonds: Cheryl Tillinghast, originallyof Ontario County, was 17 when she went missing in1973.

■ Six of spades: Sandra Sollie of Macedon, WayneCounty, was 38 and seven months pregnant when shedisappeared in 1994.

■ Seven of clubs: Sharon Shechter of Perinton was35 when she disappeared in 2001.

■ Nine of clubs: Charlotte Heimann was 27 whenshe disappeared in Rochester in 1981.

praised Brown, who is thedean and executive direc-tor of the center.

“Melva, finally,” said As-semblyman David Gantt,D-Rochester, about themany years she hasworked on the planning ofthe new center.

State funds for the pro-ject were approved be-tween 1998 and 2006. The125,000-square-foot build-ing was purchased by thecenter in 2008, with theState University Con-struction Fund openingthe bidding process forthe renovations in April.

Christa Constructionwas awarded the contract.

Now based on AndrewsStreet, the center providescareer training and col-lege-readiness courses toabout 1,500 local residentsa year. Affiliated with theState University Collegeat Brockport, the center isone of 10 such programsin the State University ofNew York system. Thecenter has an annualbudget of about $5 mil-lion.

SUNY Brockport Presi-dent John Halstead notedthat the center’s new loca-

tion is important.But he added, “It’s more

than location. It’s morethan bricks and mortar.It’s more than renovation.It’s about creating win-dows of opportunity inyoung people’s lives.”

With the certificatesthey earn at the center,about 20 percent of thesestudents go on to college.Others go right into thelocal workforce — mar-ketable with skills thatthey’ve learned from thecenter’s tuition-free pro-grams, ranging from cos-metology to office and ad-ministrative support.

Courses run from twodays to 40 weeks. The av-erage age of students isthe mid-20s. Many workwhile taking courses at

the center and are lookingfor a way to improve theirjob skills.

In addition to class-rooms, the new facilitywill include a 500-seat,multi-purpose room forspecial events. The centerwill also feature a cosme-tology salon and culinarybistro, which will trainstudents and serve as asmall restaurant, expectedto be open to the public.

With demand for itsservices growing, the cen-ter had been looking for anew building for a decade.Currently, the center hasabout 70,000 square feetof space, which includesseveral other sites and themain offices on AndrewsStreet. ❑

JGOODMAN@DemocratandChronicle.com

RenovationFROM PAGE 1B

The five-story building at 161 Chestnut St. will housetuition-free training programs ranging from cosme-tology to office and administrative support.

Provided by BHNT Architects

ALBANY — New YorkState United Teachers isurging lawmakers to find$35 million to keep thestate’s 130 teacher centersafloat, rather than closedown what the union be-lieves is a crucial trainingprogram for publicschools.

The money was not inthe budget proposed earlythis year by Gov. David Pa-terson, and it is not in thelargely completed 2010-11state budget.

“We’re going to doeverything in our powerto ensure that teacher cen-ters are funded,” saidNYSUT spokesman CarlKorn.

The Assembly and Sen-

ate have passed spendingbills for the year, but onlythe Assembly has ap-proved a revenue plan.State ComptrollerThomas DiNapoli said thebudget would not be com-plete until the Senateadopted a revenue plan.

Teacher Resource andComputer Training Cen-ters work closely withschool districts and arethe professional-develop-ment arm for many ofthem, Korn said. Teacherswho have been certifiedsince 2004 are required toget 175 hours of profes-sional development everyfive years.

Without the centers, thefull burden for trainingwill fall on school dis-tricts, he said.

The centers serveroughly 700 districts andmore than 1,000 nonpublicand charter schools.

Paterson budget spokes-man Erik Kriss noted thatthe governor didn’t pro-pose to fund the teachercenters in 2009-10 either.

“While teacher trainingis a laudable goal, in a pe-riod of fiscal austerity, weprioritized classroomfunding,” he said.

The centers werefunded with federal stimu-lus funds in 2009-10, hesaid.

Travis Proulx, a SenateDemocratic spokesman,said the priorities are tofund schools and providetax relief to “overbur-dened” homeowners. ❑

CLMATTHE@Gannett.com

Union wants funds restoredfor teacher training centersCARA MATTHEWSGANNETT ALBANY BUREAU

UP CLOSE WITH A U.S. WAR BIRD

U.S. Air Force Maj. David Graham, originally from Horseheads, Chemung County,shows his F-16 jet fighter to kids Thursday at Greater Rochester InternationalAirport. The children from Rochester were able to see two F-16s in a visit ar-ranged by the Pirate Toy Fund and the History of Flight Air Show in Geneseo.

WILL YURMAN staff photographer

Youths accusedof setting fires

Two children are ac-cused of setting fires thatdestroyed an abandonedhouse in Wolcott, WayneCounty, last month, StatePolice said Thursday.

Two 12-year-olds werecharged with third-degreearson, a felony, accordingto State Police.

Their names were notreleased.

They are accused of

forcing their way into12087 Conklin Ave. about6:40 p.m. June 23. Thechildren are accused ofsetting one fire on akitchen table using paperand envelopes and settinga second fire near a stair-case using blankets,troopers said.

The fires spread andthe house became en-gulfed in flames. Theblaze was extinguished byfirefighters from severalWayne County fire de-partments.

Troopers interviewedboth juveniles — with a

parent present — andsaid both admitted theystarted the fires. Bothchildren will answer thecharges in Wayne CountyFamily Court.

Police issuefraud warning

State Police are warn-ing residents of a fraudcase that appears to betargeting area law firmsand real estate agencies.

Troopers said a manrecently contacted a realestate agency in SenecaCounty to purchase aproperty in the FingerLakes region.

The man told his agenthe lived overseas, andarrangements were madefor him to be representedby a local law firm.

The man gave the firma bank check — intendedto be used toward thepurchase of a property —but he later asked hislawyer to send a portionof the funds to his over-seas account, trooperssaid.

Authorities later deter-mined that the bankcheck was fraudulent,troopers said.

Anyone with informa-tion or questions regard-ing this incident can callState Police in Waterlooat (315) 539-3530. ❑

— Staff reports

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In MemoriamsObituaries &

continued from page 2

Verstraete,

Kenneth R.Webster: July 8, 2010. Prede-ceased by his wife, Shirley. He is

survived by his chil-dren, Robin (Dr. Ste-phen) Rauh, Donna(Stephen) Reynolds;grandchildren, Allisonand Andrew Rauh,

Kevin Reynolds; sister, Lucille(Werner) Kramer; brother-in-law,Roger Henning; sisters-in-law,Elizabeth Avedisian, Joanne (Wal-ter) Schmanke, Linda Concanon;Karen (Gary) Winkelman; goodfriend, Marge Doran; many nieces,nephews and cousins.Kenneth was past Commander ofGrey Knights Post #972 and was acurrent member of Post #1494 for44 years. He worked for GleasonWorks for 37 years and was thepast President Elder StatesmanClub.Friends may call Sunday, 3-7 PMat the funeral chapel (2305 MonroeAve.). Friends are invited to bringa written memory or photo for thefamily’s Memory Book. A FuneralService will be held Monday,10AM at Christ the Good ShepherdLutheran Church, 1000 N. WintonRd., Rochester, 14609. Intermentat White Haven Memorial Park.Contributions in his memory maybe made to Christ the GoodShepherd Lutheran Church. Tolight a candle in memory visitwww.anthonychapels.com

Wilkins, Arnold L.Rochester: July 8, 2010. Grave-side Service, Oatka Cem. (Scotts-ville, NY), TODAY 7/9, 12 Noon.THOMAS FUNERAL CHAPELS4545 LAVE AVE. 663-3837

Zupparo, Mary F.Mt. Morris: Age 84, passedpeacefully, surrounded by her fam-ily, on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 atUnity Hospital in Rochester. Pre-deceased by her husband, JosephZupparo; parents, Angelo and Jo-sephine (Piraino) LaRosa; and abrother, Philip LaRosa. Survivedby her son, Ignatius (Roxanne)Zupparo; 2 grandchildren, Josephand Dionna Zupparo; a sister,Frances Leonardo; and 3 sisters-in-law, Sadie LaRosa, Mary RoseZupparo, Minnie Zupparo.Friends may call, Friday from5-8 PM at the JOHN W. MARTINFUNERAL HOME, 37 Chapel St.(Route 408), Mt. Morris, whereprayers will be said Saturday at9:30 AM, followed by a funeralmass in St. Patrick’s Church inMt. Morris at 10 AM. Burial St.Patrick’s Cemetery, Mt. Morris. Inlieu of flowers, memorials may bemade to, American Diabetes As-soc., 160 Allens Creek Rd., Roch-ester, NY, 14618. Sign the onlineregistry at: www.johnwmartinfuner-alhome.com

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