WEST .HAGEL
Hagel: Cadets must stamp out sex assault scourge
WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has told West Point cadets that sexual assault in the military must be stamped out.
Hagel's message Saturday came a day after President Barack Obama delivered a similar edict to U.S. Naval Academy graduates, amid a series of widespread incidents of sexual misconduct across the military in recent months and a new report showing that the problem is growing.
Hagel tells graduates at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point that they must be the generation of leaders who will stop the debilitating threats of suicide, sexual assault and drug and alcohol abuse that are hurting the all-volunteer force.
He says that as they face an uncertain future, they must also be ready to fight unpredictable wars with fewer people and less money.
GIFFORDS-COMMENCEMENT
Giffords, husband address graduates at Bard
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. (AP) - Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says the futures of today's college graduates "shines bright."
Giffords spoke only briefly Saturday at the Bard College commencement but urged the graduates to create, lead and innovate.
Giffords was among 13 people wounded in a January 2011 shooting outside a Tucson, Ariz., supermarket that left six others dead. The Democrat resigned from Congress a year later.
In her one minute, 20 second speech, the former congresswoman told the graduates they can start changing the world tomorrow. She urged them to "be bold, be courageous, be your best."
Giffords' husband joined her at the podium. Retired astronaut Mark Kelly talked about their new organization, Americans For Responsible Gun Control. He says its focus is to keep communities safer while protecting the Second Amendment.
ANGEL FLIGHT-CRASH
Rescuers look for pilot in deadly NY Angel Flight
EPHRATAH, N.Y. (AP) - Rescuers are searching for the pilot of a volunteer Angel Flight that crashed in upstate New York, killing two passengers.
A dispatcher for the Fulton County Sheriff's Department says divers went to a large pond Saturday morning where the bulk of the plane was found submerged in Ephratah (ee-FRAY'-tah), west of Albany. Investigators are also combing nearby woods.
The Federal Aviation Administration says the plane departed from Bedford, Mass., and was headed to Rome, N.Y., when it crashed Friday night.
Angel Flight is a nonprofit group that arranges free air transportation for sick patients from volunteer pilots. Officials haven't yet identified the passengers or pilot.
Ephratah resident Roger Berry tells The Associated Press he was chopping wood when the plane crashed. He says he heard a bang and saw pieces of the plane crash.
OFFICER SHOT
NY officer shot in leg while chasing suspect
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - An upstate New York police officer has been shot in the leg while pursuing a suspect who was later arrested.
Buffalo Police Department spokesman Mike DeGeorge tells WGRZ-TV that the shooting occurred in the backyard of a residential neighborhood at about 5 p.m. Saturday
DeGeorge says the officer was chasing a man with a gun when the suspect fired his weapon. He says the suspect is now in custody.
DeGeorge says the officer was taken to Erie County Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
The names of the officer and the suspect have not been released. DeGeorge did not immediately return a call for comment Saturday.
MOUNT VERNON SHOOTING
3 charged in shooting death in Mount Vernon, NY
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (AP) - Police in Mount Vernon say three gang members have been arrested in a brazen shooting death in a bar.
The Journal News reports that three men were arrested Friday in the killing of 26-year-old Christopher Foe on May 19.
Foe was gunned down in the Alamo bar. Mount Vernon Detective Capt. Edward Adinaro said the victim was a member of the Get Money Gangstas.
Police said the suspects are members of a rival gang called the Goonies.
They were identified as Isaiah Hill, Donnie Dixon and Demetrius Price, all 24 years old.
Police said Hill was the shooter and Dixon and Price were sheltering him.
All three were expected to be arraigned in Mount Vernon City Court. No information on attorneys for the suspects was available.
STABBING DEATH-NEWBURGH
Week later, 1 charged in stabbing death of NY man
NEWBURGH, N.Y. (AP) - City of Newburgh police say they've arrested a 32-year-old man in connection with the stabbing death of another man.
Police say they arrested Steven Hamilton of Blooming Grove about 3 p.m. Friday in a grocery store parking lot. He is accused of stabbing 21-year-old Daquan Nugent to death on May 17 in Newburgh, about 60 miles north of New York City.
Police say Nugent was stabbed in the chest while inside a vehicle. They traced the vehicle to Hamilton.
He's charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He was also charged with robbery for an unrelated incident in which he used a knife to steal crack cocaine. Hamilton was being held in the city lockup until he is arraigned Sunday. He does not yet have a lawyer.
INSURANCE FRAUD
Insurance agent accused of defrauding couple
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A former New York state insurance agent is accused of taking an elderly couple's retirement savings and never investing the money they gave him.
According to state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Joseph Marvullo convinced the couple to write more than 80 checks in his name amounting to almost $300,000.
The 63-year-old Marvullo is charged with grand larceny.
The onetime independent agent and broker faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
According to court documents, he never purchased insurance or investment products with the money.
Marvullo, of Greenfield, was arraigned earlier this week and released on his own recognizance.
AMUSEMENT RIDES
NY officials tracking amusement rides
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The New York state Department of Labor is monitoring rides at 49 carnivals and fairs over the Memorial Day weekend.
The department is responsible for monitoring thrill rides at the state's 12 amusement parks and at traveling shows outside New York City.
It says it inspects all fixed rides at least once a year and those at traveling carnivals and fairs at each new location.
The department lists parks and events online. It says its staff inspected more than 1,500 venues and more than 9,700 amusement devices last year.
The agency advises reading posted ride warnings and heeding operator instructions. Recommendations also include securing loose hair and clothing, observing age, height and weight restrictions and not driving bumper cars with children on your lap.
WYETHS-NEW EXHIBIT
Upstate NY museum displays Wyeth family artwork
COOOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) - A new exhibit of works created by the famous Wyeth family of artists is opening at an upstate museum the same week that six Wyeth paintings sold for $2 million at a New York City auction.
The exhibit, titled "The Wyeths: A Family Legacy," opens Saturday at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 2.
The artwork on display features the work of 3 generations of artists from the Wyeth family, including N.C., Andrew and Jamie.
N.C. Wyeth was a leading illustrator during the first half of the 20th century. His five children were accomplished artists also, especially the youngest, Andrew.
On Thursday, a New Jersey businessman sold six works by N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth at Christie's for just over $2 million.
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