BY Jason Emerson
Editor
The end of the year typically marks the time to reflect back on what has happened in our communities over the past 365 days. The year 2018 had a number of major headlines in the areas of community news, crime, arts, schools, business and sports that made us rejoice, lament, commiserate and, at times, shake our heads in utter consternation and confusion. But whatever the story, everything that has happened these past 12 months has all been the story of Cazenovia.
Thinking back over the past year, and looking through the past 52 issues of the Cazenovia Republican, some of the “top stories” of the year were obvious: The arrest and subsequent legal actions regarding the teenagers who filmed a special needs student using the Cazenovia High School bathroom, the Nelson gun shop owner whose perspicacity foiled what law enforcement believed was an intended mass shooter, and the inspiring action of a local teen helping up an opposing runner who fell during a cross country meet.
On the social media side of the Cazenovia Republican, while many of the above stories were among the most-viewed and most-shared stories on the Republican Facebook page (which currently has 3,474 follows or “likes” — up 276 from last year), many other stories also had huge responses.
The stories with the most online views were not only the stories mentioned above, but also included: Cazenovia Bagel Co. being named “Entrepreneur of the Year” (7,047 impressions), equestrian Beezie Madden winning the FEI World Cup (6,800 impressions), the opening of the new restaurant Kalamata Pita (5,600 impressions), the creation of the Cazenovia Community Garden (5,200 impressions), Cazenovia Children’s House have their childcare license suspended and nearly revoked by the state of New York (5,200 impressions), and Molly Hagan being named the new Cazenovia High School principal (4,000 impressions).
The most followed stories of the year concerned our coverage of school safety issues and the hiring of a School Resource Officer in the Cazenovia Central School District, and the crimes and court hearings of the teens who filmed a fellow student in the bathroom.
One of the most upsetting stories this year was about the 74-year-old Cazenovia man, Naven E. Conley, who was arrested in August and again in December on multiple counts of felony child sexual abuse and child pornography.
One of the stories that shocked many people this year was the removal of the longtime Cazenovia Christmas tree on the lawn in front of the Cazenovia Presbyterian Church. While the removal was announced last year — necessitated due to disease — when the tree actually was taken down this past February, members of the community still were shocked and heartbroken. A 25-foot-tall Norway Spruce, located only a few feet away from the former tree, was used as the official community Christmas tree this year, and will remain so for years to come.
One of our favorite stories of the year was the creation and October preview celebration of a documentary about Hen, the Cazenovia mummy. The documentary, done by Call of the Loon Productions and available for viewing on YouTube, offered not only a history of the mummy and how he came to b in Cazenovia, but also discussed the new findings resulting from medical tests done on Hen in late 2017.
So many stories occurred this past year to uplift, frustrate, inspire and depress us; so many to enjoy revisiting, and some that we wish to never read again.
Looking back over the events of a year reminds us of our humanity and brings into focus why it is important that we are — and that we remain — a thoughtful, caring and neighborly community.
Below are the top stories of the year 2018, listed chronologically by original publication:
Nelson gun owner refuses sale, stops potential mass shooting
On March 12, 22-year-old Syracuse University student Xiaoteng Zhan walked into The Gun Shop and AJ’s Archery in Nelson to buy a semi-automatic rifle. Owner John Laubscher later said he just had an uncomfortable feeling about the man and the specificity of the military-style type of gun he wanted to purchase, and so Laubscher did not make a sale that day. Instead, he copied Zhan’s license plate number down after he left and called the Madison County Sheriff’s Office with the information obtained from his firearm registration form.
The call resulted in a weeklong investigation that led to a police raid on Zhan’s apartment and the discovery of ammunition, gunsights, a shotgun shoulder carrier and a laser scope. Zhan was deported back to China by federal agents on March 20. Syracuse Police believe Laubscher’s actions stopped Zhan from planning a mass shooting.
In the days following Zhan’s deportation, Laubscher received countless thank-you calls from SU parents and students thanking and praising him for his keen judgement and alerting authorities of the suspicious student. “I was just doing what I believed was right and following protocol,” he said.
Caz school safety discussed, SRO hired
While school security became the issue of the moment around the country in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., high school massacre on Feb. 14 of this year, the issue hit home in Cazenovia when the district had an alleged threat of violence in late February. The district operated on a modified lock out that day, and had a police presence in the three schools for the next week.
Just one week prior to the lock out, the Caz school board had had a discussion on improving school safety, and the February incident kicked that discussion into high gear. In March, the district held a community school safety forum to generate from attendees’ ideas, concerns, issues and proposals that the district administration can use and learn from as they continue working to improve district security and safety.
The major issue in those, and subsequent, discussions, was whether or not the district should hire a School Resource Officer (SRO) to be present and visible in the schools to help ensure safety. In late March, the board nearly unanimously decided not to hire an SRO, with all members but one opposing the action, especially the idea of armed officers on school grounds. Public sentiment, however, was not happy with that decision, and the board reconsidered.
In July, the board approved the hiring of an armed SRO for the district. Officer Kevin Hamberger began his full-time position Sept. 24 where he not only spends every school day within the district but also has been at after-school events.
Teens arrested, indicted for bathroom video
In May, two Cazenovia High School teen students were arrested and charged with felonies for filming a special needs teenager without his knowledge or consent on a cellphone video while he was using a CHS bathroom urinal during school hours. The video was then uploaded to the social media site Snapchat and viewed by at least 36 other people. In July, a third teen was arrested in the case. The teens were charged with multiple offenses, including endangering the welfare of an incompetent/physically disabled person, unlawful dissemination of an unlawful surveillance image and unlawful surveillance.
While one of the teens took responsibility for his actions and made a deal with the county district attorney, the other two, Christopher Sparks and Andrew Peterson, were indicted by a county grand jury. They both plead not guilty to the charges in August. In November, when the cases came to trial, both defendants ended up pleading guilty to one felony count each in exchange for receiving sentences of probation, community service and potential Youthful Offender status for their criminal records.
Caz runner helps fallen opponent, action going viral after Facebook post
In mid-October, Cazenovia cross country runner Jake Tobin showed some serious class and sportsmanship during the Auburn Invitational when he helped, and cheered on, a rival runner. For Tobin, it was just a natural action that anybody would do, but a cross country parent posted what he did and how great it was on Facebook, and from there, the story became national news.
Towards the end of the Oct. 13 race, Tobin had just been passed by Fairport cross country team athlete Luke Fortner, a senior who is visually impaired and runs with a guide. As they approached the finish line, Fortner, being loudly cheered on by the crowd, slipped and fell while running up a hill. Tobin, who joined the crowd in cheering and clapping for Fortner, immediately stopped, helped his opponent to his feet and helped push him up the hill.
To Tobin, he was simply helping a fallen runner, but to everyone else, it was an amazing act of sportsmanship.
One cross country parent wrote about the incident on Facebook and posted it and a photo to the Cazenovia school district Facebook page. That post went viral, with the story being picked up by the Associated Press, then reprinted online by the Washington Post and the New York Times.
“I honestly have no idea what all the hubbub is about,” Jake said. “If it had happened to anyone else, I still would have done it. At least I hope anyone would have picked up Luke, regardless of who it is — it’s just good sportsmanship.”
Cazenovia mummy stars in documentary
Last December, Hen, the 2,000-year-old Cazenovia mummy, went to Crouse Hospital to undergo numerous scans and tests in an attempt to find out more scientific and medical information about him. The trip was widely covered by local and regional news outlets and the reporting caught the eye of a Liverpool documentary company, which then made a documentary. “The Cazenovia Mummy,” by Call of the Loon Productions, was filmed in early 2018 and completed in September.
On Oct. 8, the film premiered at the Cazenovia Public Library with a party that included not just a showing of the movie, but also remarks by the filmmakers and experts in the film and a reception complete with a re-creation of the 1895 “Mummy Tea” held when Hen first arrived in the town. The event had a huge turnout and was a great success.
“This is a very special night — one of the most exciting evenings we have ever had here at the library,” said library Executive Director Betsy Kennedy while introducing the film. “We are very pleased by the turnout. Everyone was so engaged, and there were such thoughtful questions after. And people were so enthusiastic; you could just hear the buzz in the room — that is telling.”
The full documentary is available for free viewing on YouTube at youtube.com/watch?v=uCcylkB5B9I or by going to the Call of the Loon Productions YouTube account.
