Press and Sun-Bulletin from Binghamton, New York • 7

Inside Money PAGE IB TUESDAY JULY 19, 2005 Press Sun-Bulletin pressconnects.com Local Briefing Council delays vote on peace resolution the meeting about half in support and half opposed to the resolution. Some said the meeting was a display of democracy and civic action, while others said the city should not be trying to influence federal decisions. "This is not the appropriate place to have this discussion," said Barbara Beebe, Broome County commander of the American Legion. "People should write to President Bush or to Congress. The City of Binghamton should take care of Binghamton." Nathan Raboy of Binghamton said the reason why the city council terrorists to continue their aggression against humanity by indicating that the American public does not have the resolve to counter terrorist acts of aggression." Phil Stanton of Binghamton, a Vietnam veteran, isa member of Vets for Peace.

He said he supports bringing the troops home. "In Vietnam, I heard Nixon saying we weren't bombing Cambodia while I was watching the bombs fall," he said. "It was lies then, and it's all lies now." Councilman Pat Russo, D-7th District, called Jensen's move "the should consider the proposal lies in the difference between democracy and dictatorship. "We do have a say," he said. "That's what makes our country great.

If we do not hold our government responsible for its actions, we have not lived up to our own responsibility." John Vallone Sr. of Binghamton, a member of the American Legion, said the resolution would demoralize the armed forces abroad, giving them the impression their sacrifices were not appreciated at home. "My objection to this resolution," he said, is the fact that it inspires 1 By RYAN DEL'FX Press Sun-Bulletin BINGHAMTON About 70 people attended Monday night's city council meeting for more than three hours, waiting for council members to vote on a resolution calling for the federal government to come up with a plan to withdraw U.S. armed forces from Iraq. They will have to wait until Aug.

1 to hear the result. Councilman Stephen P. Jensen, R-3rd District, held over the resolution. More than 25 people spoke during the public-comment portion of biggest piece of grandstanding" he has ever witnessed on the city council. Jensen said he had heard from veterans and those opposed to the war, but wants to hear from those who served in Iraq before voting.

In other business, the council passed a resolution granting Flashbacks bar and nightclub a noise variance to hold its Friday outdoor event called Live at Five through Sept. 2. The event, which takes place on a closed section of State Street, runs from 5 to 1 1 p.m. rdeuelpressconnecfs.com CONKLIN Benefit to aid workers' families The Susquehanna Valley varsity softball team will host a fundraiser today for the families of three construction workers who were killed following a construction zone accident in May. Members of the team, winners of this year's New York State Class A Championship, will participate in a charity dunking booth from 6 to 8 p.m.

on the lighted field at Schnurbusch Park The cost is SI for three balls. Wayne Bonsell, 39, and Jonathon Randall, 32, both of Binghamton were killed when a bus slammed into the construction zone in which they were working on Interstate 8 1 A third worker, Jason Pessoni, 30, of Cincinnatus, was also killed. All three men were employees of a Cortland paving company. Staff reports Police seek clues in death of Fenton man Body found in Chenango River ifu: I i if i i 1 -iff IV 1 i 1 4 ft 1 I --i isfY I tlSy ''-7 a i KATIIRYN DKl'KL Press Sun-Bulletin inside a house at 75 Church St. in Montrose, a stop on said investigators had not uncovered any evidence of foul play.

"We don't at this time know just what did cause the death," Land said. Stoquert's body was recovered by the State Police Troop Scuba Team and brought to shore Sunday night, Land said. Broome County Coroner Dr. Michael McCarville ordered the body removed from the riverbank to Lourdes Hospital. The body was found near a railroad trestle crossing the river.

Stoquert's neighbors told investigators he often used the trestle to reach an area store when he needed cigarettes or other items, Land said. There was no immediate indication whether Stoquert had been on the trestle before his death and no indication of how long his body had been in the river, Land said. State police are asking anyone with information about the case to call them at By JIM WRIGHT Press Sun-Bulletin TOWN OF FENTON State police Monday continued to investigate the death of a Fenton man whose body was found face down in the Chenango River Sunday night. An autopsy is planned today at Lourdes Hospital, Binghamton, for Thomas E. Sto-quert, 66, of the Fenton-Burkes Trailer Park, off West Arterial Highway.

Stoquert was found dead a short distance from his trailer home, police said. Family and neighbors reported him missing Sunday, police said. The autopsy was delayed a day because Lourdes forensic pathologist Dr. James Terzian was out of town. On Monday, Stoquert's trailer was cordoned off with crime-scene tape, as state police continued to sift through his belongings looking for clues to his death.

State police Lt. James Land Tom Wooden, of the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies, stands the Underground Railroad. Take a ride on the Underground Railroad Re-enactment meant to give participants a taste of flight to freedom TOWN OF MAINE Four injured as two trucks crash Four people were injured Monday afternoon when two pickup trucks collided at Route 26 and East Maine Road. The crash closed Route 26 for approximately 40 minutes and traffic was diverted around the scene. The Broome County Sheriffs Office is investigating.

The names of the injured were not immediately available, investigators said. The Maine Fire Department had to extricate one person after the 12:10 p.m. crash, said, Fire Chief David Silverstein. The East Maine Fire Department assisted at the crash scene, Silverstein said. Two people were believed to have been ejected, sheriffs deputies said.

The conditions of the injured were unknown, officials said. The injured were taken to the Wilson Memorial Regional Medical Center in Johnson City by four ambulances from Broome and Tioga counties, deputies said. Staff reports DEATHS Rose J. Bezilla of Johnson City. Violet (Petrolle) Grassi, 91, of Sylvan Beach.

Lois L. Howe, 72, of Great Bend, Pa. Marjorie I. Mirra, 42, of Hallstead, Pa. John Kucer Jr, 85, formerly of Binghamton.

Arthur Southworth, Johnson City. INSIDE Complete obituaries. If You Go Neighbors IB The Underground Railroad Re-enactment will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 30 and 31 at Old Mill Village on Route 848, one mile from the New Milford exit off Route 81.

Cost: $6 for age 12 and older, $3 for ages 6-11. Under 5, free. Call 570-278-31 99for information. On the Internet: Log onto www.antislaverystudies.com to find out more about the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies. Cuomo has for 2006 campaign Former gubernatorial hopeful wants to be N.Y.

attorney general By VALERIE ZEHL Press Sun-Bulletin You and your family are fugitives, on the run and being relentlessly pursued. If you're caught, there will be hell to pay: You'll be beaten severely, and you'll probably never see your loved ones again. Your heart is pounding as you crouch, barefoot and soaked with sweat, in tall brush under the cover of trees. A single cry from one of your hungry and terrified children could give away your position. You must depend on a stranger to smuggle you to safety and he's breaking the law in doing so.

He's known as a conductor, and he's trying to spirit you away from slave catchers, to freedom through the Underground Railroad. On July 30 and 31, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.. The Center for Anti-Slavery Studies offers a rare opportunity. You can participate in an Underground Railroad re-enactment and feel Mario and Matilaa Cuomo, the candidate's mother, each gave $50,000.

Former Cuomo officials also helped for yourself what it meant to be a fugitive slave. Wear sturdy shoes and clothes that cover arms and legs, use insect repellent and bring a walking stick, if you have one. You'll be traversing creeks and walking through thickets surrounding the Old Mill Village Museum in New Mil-ford, Pa. You'll be met by abolitionists and conductors on your journey. "This is the real thing," explains CASS member Brenda Cave-James of Endicott.

"It's serious. You have to be quiet and be careful." In last year's re-enactment, which drew more than 100 people, participants had to move silently, use code words and follow the conductor's instructions: Follow the tree line on your left along the swampy edge of the river the AME Church in Owego. "I've never seen anything depicted like this." says Jim Filitski, a professional photographer who attended last year's event. "They don't put the public in harm's way, but they do give you a sense of what it felt like." Distances between stations can be 100 feet or 100 yards, over all kinds of terrain, but those who can't tackle such rigors have opportunities to participate, too, he explains. He was most moved by CASS president Sherman Wooden's portrayal of a Negro farmer.

Like many SEE RAILROAD 5B toward a lone tree at the edge of the meadow. Stay close to the reeds. Your next guide will make himself known to you. Remember the signal: "The friend of a friend. Godspeed to you all.

Participants this year will travel from station to station, each representing a real place on the actual Underground Railroad between Wilkes-Barre, through Montrose to Owego. Cave-James and husband Fred James will greet those who've made their way to the end of the journey by singing spirituals and songs of praise and freedom in Old Mill Village's one-room school-house, which will represent CUOMO PAGE 4B HELP DESK Do you have questions on how to submit a press release or how to request coverage of an upcoming event? Do you have a news By MARC HUMBERT Associated Press ALBANY Andrew Cuomo, who failed in his bid for the 2002 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, is seeking to breathe life back into his political persona with an impressive demonstration of fundraising clout in the race for state attorney general. Records reviewed Monday by The Associated Press show the former federal housing secretary and elder son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo raised almost S2.1 million over the past six months, or almost three times the amount raised by his closest rival for the 2006 attorney general nomination. Meanwhile, the records showed a surprisingly robust performance by a former Cuomo ally who is now a rival for the attorney general nomination, Charlie King of Rockland County.

"Finishing in the top two in fundraising shows that my campaign has incredibly strong momentum," King told the AP. Including th more than 1 million the younger Cuomo had left over from his failed gubernatorial bid, the filing with the state Board of Elections showed Cuomo with S2.99 million on hand, almost twice that of his nearest rival. "I don't know tactically how important it is or it isn't, but I'm just glad I have it," Cuomo told the AP, with a laugh. The fundraising success was in many ways a mom-and-pop operation. tip? We re here to help.

Contact us via e-mail at out with contributions, including $25,000 from the former governor's economic development czar, Vincent Tese, and $32,200 from Joseph Spinelli, who was state inspector general under the elder Cuomo. But Andrew Cuomo also tapped his own friends and business associates for large contributions Public relations magnate Dan Klores gave $50,000, as did Andrew Farkas, Cuomo's boss at the Island Capital Group investment firm. The firm chipped in another $25,000. The younger Cuomo, who called the financial support "gratifying," also got several major labor contributions, including $50,000 from Local 1 199 of the Service Employees International Union. "It's all coming together this time," Cuomo said.

Current Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, is running for governor next year. The financial filings showed Mark Green, New York City's former elected public advocate, raised almost $634,000 in the past six months, third behind Cuomo and King. "Slow and steady wins this race, too," Green said. Man hurt in crash An 84-year-old man was injured in an accidenton Interstate 81, when his car drifted into another lane and was struck by another vehicle. Lawrence Pagliano, of Endicott, was driving south near the Broad Street exit in Binghamton, when he began drifting into the left lane, police said.

That's when his car was broadsided by a Ford pickup truck driven by Everett Butler, 32, of Windsor. Pagliano was taken to Wilson Memorial Regional Medical Center in Johnson City with head injuries. REBECCA TOWNS Press Sun Bulletin I ilin mini jMiijiw1 i1' 5 I i i I J- -V 'jf helpdeskpressconnects.com or call 798-1280. Someone will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday to answer your questions. FOR CORRECTIONS Please bring errors in stories, photos, graphics or headlines to the attention of Assistant Managing Editor Steve Spero at 798-1316or Reader Representative Michelle Terry at 798-1 3 1 7. CONTACT US: Doug Schneider Metro Editor 607-798-1151 OR 1-877-348-7811 dschneiderpressconnects.com.