(Town of Cazenovia, NY – Nov. 30, 2011) The New York State Police in Morrisville investigated a two vehicle head-on crash, which occurred on Constine Bridge Road in the Town of Cazenovia.

At 11:20 a.m. a 2003 Ford Explorer operated by Amanda Cook, 23, of 1835 Route 13, Sheds was northbound on Constine Bridge Road when she drifted into the southbound lane striking head-on a 1999 Ford F-250 pick-up truck being operated by Almon Rounsaville, 64, of Old Sheds Road, DeRuyter.

Cook was extricated from the car and was transported by Smith Ambulance to Crouse Hospital with a serious leg injury.

Rounsaville was extricated and transported by CAVAC Ambulance to University Hospital with a serious leg injury.

Almon Rounsaville Jr., 37, a passenger in the pick-up was transported by CAVAC Ambulance to University Hospital with a serious head injury.

Cook was ticketed for failure to keep right.

Both Rounsaville Jr. and Sr. were ticket for failing to wear their seatbelts.

By Mike Bova, publisher

Did you know the average visit to a news site is 3-4 minutes? That tells me people are not reading their newspaper online. They are only reading a story or stories of interest.

There is nothing better that sitting down with a cup of coffee and flipping through the pages of a local newspaper. You can peruse the paper at your leisure. There is not a computer to fire up and it’s easy on the eyes…no glare.

Plus, you’d have to click on 70-80 pages of www.MadisonCountyCourier.com to read what is in one issue of the Madison County Courier Weekly.

The Weekly is so good, it will even be seen in Steven Soderbergh’s blockbuster movie, Haywire, which is opening Jan. 20, 2012.

Also, you should really purchase a subscription to the Weekly, which supports your local newspaper and keeps the newspaper in business.

Lastly, we just made it a little less expensive for everybody. Until Sept. 30, 2011, a 13 week subscription is only $10 (normally $13.) A 26 week subscription is only $15 (normally $20) and a 52 week subscription is only $25 (normally $35.)

If you buy a subscription to the Madison County Courier Weekly, I promise you won’t be sorry you did. Thank you for supporting your county newspaper.

(Brookfield, NY – July 2011) Drivers and spectators alike will thrill to one of the wildest and most popular shows at the Madison County Fair when the Demolition Derby and Rollover competition take to the track Saturday, July 9, at 6 p.m.

These demolition derby drivers don’t do circles; these gladiators crash, smash and battle each other down to the last vehicle standing. The winners of each heat (eight- to 12-car battle), along with the winner of the consolation heat (a second chance for any surviving vehicle that did not win in its original heat) are eligible to compete in the feature battle.

The last vehicle running and moving in the feature heat will take home the championship trophy, cash and qualify for the State Fair Demolition Derby.

Hang on to your seat; for the first time ever, the Madison County Fair will introduce a new class (heat) for mini-vans and trucks. All prospective drivers may check out the rules and regulations in our premium booklet that can be found at madisoncountyfairny.com.

The exciting rollover contest is gaining popularity and is a true test of courage or craziness (judge for yourself). These drivers charge the ramps with no other purpose than to roll their car over. The driver able to roll his car over the most times takes home a trophy and cash.

Typically, these events play to a sellout crowd, so mark your calendar and arrive early to claim your seat for the wildest ride at the Fair.

For more information on events at 2011 Madison County Fair, visit madisoncountyfairny.com or friend us on Facebook: “The Madison County Fair.”

The message earlier that Madison County E-911 could not receive emergency calls by dialing 9-1-1 has been retracted. According to Madison County Undersheriff John Ball, the system is fully operational again.

(Brookfield, NY – 2011) Power pulling, commonly known as tractor and truck pulling, is a motorsport competition that is very popular across America. This sport evolved from the friendly competitions of early day farmers who would match their teams of horses against one another by pulling a sled loaded with rocks.

The weight of the sled was increase by adding rocks to the sled until only one team of horses could pull the sled a predetermined distance.

Today, a man-and-machine team together to pull a heavy sledge (sled) down the track. The sledge, also known as a weight transfer machine, transfers weight (linked with gears to the sledge’s wheels) from over the rear axles and toward the front of the sledge.

In front of the rear wheels, there is a ‘pan,’ essentially a metal plate, and as the weight moves over this, the resistance builds.

The further the tractor/truck pulls the sledge, the harder it gets. By the end of the track, even the most powerful tractor/truck will be stopped cold by the extremely large force of drag created by the awesome amount of weight bearing down upon the plate. A fine mixture of horsepower, traction, chassis setup and driving skill is required to win at this sport.

Well over 200 trucks and tractors rev, spin and roar, attempting to pull a weight transfer machine 300 feet in front of the Madison County Fair Grandstand yearly. This year the 4WD Truck Pull leads off the power pulling events on Friday, July 8, at 7 p.m.

Classes range from Pure Stock, Street Modified, Diesel and Enhanced Diesel, with trucks weighing in between 5,000 and 9,000 pounds. On Saturday, July 9, at 9 a.m., the Garden Tractors assume the task of out-pulling one another with classes for Stock, Stock Altered, Super Stock and Modified, weighing in at 800 to 1,500 pounds.

Rounding out the power pulling events on Sunday, July 10, is the Tractor Pulling contest beginning at 8:30 a.m., with classes for Stock, Enhanced and Super Farm. These tractors weigh in between 4,500 and 15,500 pounds.

Make your way to the Madison County Fair to enjoy one of America’s popular Power Pulling events this year.  For More Information on Events at 2011 Madison County Fair visit us online at madisoncountyfairny.com.

(Brookfield, NY – 2011) Do you bake a delicious pie, have an uncanny knack for pickling, or are you crafty with a crochet hook? Let’s see who does it best in all of Madison County. Entries are also open to all of our good neighboring counties…join in the fun.

Madison County Fair is offering you the chance to win prizes and recognition for your outstanding creations. The Madison County Fair 2011 Premium Booklet is now available online at madisoncountyfairny.com.

Click on 2011 Premium Booklet in the left column.

Visit our online Premium Booklet to see what items you can exhibit or contest you would like to enter; the possibilities are endless.

* Baking, Gardening, Collecting, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Sewing, and Knitting

* Ms. Madison County Pageant

* Livestock Classes: Horses, Cattle, Poultry, Goats, Lambs, Rabbits

* Truck Pull, Tractor Pull, Demolition Derby and Rollover Contest

New this year is the Creative Arts Junior Division (all competitors must not have passed their 19th birthday before Jan. 1 of this year).

Reuse/Recycle is the theme, with a $10 premium to first-place entries in each of the six class divisions.

Entry must contain at least 75 percent of the recycled material.

The departments and classes are listed in PDF files that maybe downloaded and printed, along with the entry form. Entry forms should be submitted by July 1st (mail to: Entry Clerk, Madison County Fair, P.O. Box 114, Brookfield, N.Y. 13314).

If you are unable to access the Internet listings, you may leave a message at 315-899-5867, and forms will be sent to you via U.S. Mail. Please specify which departments you are interested in, along with your mailing address.

Exhibitor tickets will be available free to all exhibitors entering three or more exhibits, which remain on the grounds for the duration of the Fair or who show livestock.

Visit us online at www.madisoncountyfairny.com.

Brown to Retire

By Aaron Gifford

(Sheds, Feb. 13, 2011) A.J. Brown served two tours of duties in Afghanistan and sustained a broken leg after an improvised explosive device attack, earning a Purple Heart and a promotion. After 10 months of recovery and reflection, the Marine recently made a difficult choice about his future.

Brown will retire from the service in the coming months. He will attend college somewhere in the south, preferably Florida, to study psychology. He says he’ll leave the military knowing that he helped make a difference in the war against terrorism.

“I’ll definitely miss the camaraderie, the uniform – just being a Marine,” the 22-year old Sheds resident said during an interview at his home last week. “But it’s time to do something else. Physically, I just can’t be running around with 120-pound backpack and jumping onto a truck, only to risk breaking my leg again.”

Brown said he chose psychology because he enjoys learning about the brain, and he would enjoy a career working on criminal profiles for a federal agency.

Meanwhile, Brown has recovered significantly from his injuries, which he sustained April 3 in Marjeh, Afghanistan after the truck he was riding in was blown up by an IED. He sustained several broken bones in his lower left leg and had to undergo almost a dozen surgeries.

Brown spent the last several months travelling between a military hospital in Maryland and Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Brown no longer relies on crutches. He’ll be in a soft cast for another month and still has to undergo a plastic surgery procedure where excess fat will be removed from his skin grafts. He no longer has to wear the bulky halo or “birdcage” devices on his leg. But even with his limited mobility, Brown surfed off the coast of North Carolina and sprinted across the Newark, N.J., airport to catch a connecting flight.

“And it turned out the plane was delayed,” he said, laughing. “You should have seen me going through security when they were wiping me down for bomb residue.”

Brown will complete a few more weeks of physical therapy and expects to be running again by spring. He’s looking forward to schooling his younger brothers on the court again.

“It would be so nice to have everyone together for a game of pick-up basketball,” said Vanessa Brown, A.J.’s mother.

Brown, the oldest of five boys, was home-schooled and played basketball for New Life Christian Academy in Randallsville. He chose the Marines after graduation because of the corps’ sense of pride and the fact that they had the most grueling training program. He was trained as a machine gunner and served tours of duty in Garmsir and Marjeh.

Brown said he’s relieved that most of his closest friends in the Marines survived combat and returned home to their families. Only three of the 20 men in his company re-enlisted.

“Everybody feels like the way the economy is going,” he said, “they want to go to college and start working toward something right away.”

Aaron Gifford is a contributing editor for the Madison County Courier. He can be reached at Aaron@m3pmedia.com.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office has issued a travel advisory for Madison County due to conditions caused by high winds and blowing and drifting snow.

Madison County Sheriff Allen Riley said roads are extremely hazardous.

This declaration includes all county, town, city and state roadways in Madison County. At this point, no roadways are closed to traffic, but extreme caution should be used in traveling, and only essential travel should be attempted.
This advisory will remain in effect until 10 p.m. tonight.

By Margo Frink

(Feb. 15, 2011) If you have a child in school, enrolled in college or a trade school, or attending BOCES, he or she just may be named in this week’s print edition of the Madison County Courier.

This week’s edition, which hits newsstands today is literally filled with thousands of local students who have been added to the dean’s or president’s lists, school honor rolls or have graduated from their respective college. In fact, we’ve added pages just to accommodate them all.

To find a newsstand location near you, go back to the homepage and just below the banner click on “Find a Newsstand.”

Don’t miss out on this keepsake edition. Your child could be there.

Schumer: Major Victory for Madison, Oneida and Lewis counties – Interior Department and Census Bureau to Retract Unfounded and Radically Expanded Oneida Reservation Map That Had Been Handed Down in the Dead of Night

Census Bureau Issued Map – Redrawing And Greatly Expanding Oneida Reservation Borders In Madison, Oneida, and Lewis Counties—In The Dead Of Night Without Notifying Officials

In Response To Schumer Meetings and Personal Calls, The Interior Department Has Reversed Its Opinion, And The Census Bureau Will Issue New Map Reflecting The Original Boundaries

Schumer: The Corrected Map Will Again Reflect Reality And Provide Much-Needed Clarity And Stability For Madison, Oneida, and Lewis Counties

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he successfully pushed the Department of the Interior and the Census Bureau to retract a recently issued map that redrew Oneida reservation borders to include over 300,000 acres of new land. Without notifying local, state, or federal officials, the Census Bureau had issued a map that dramatically expanded the boundaries of the reservation, causing serious confusion and concern among county and state officials. After Schumer personally called Census Bureau director Robert Groves and met with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the Department of Interior has agreed to retract their decision that led to the improper map, and the Census Bureau will issue a new map reflecting the original boundaries that encompass 32 acres of land.

“This is absolutely the right decision for the people of Madison, Oneida, and Lewis counties,” said Schumer. “This shocking and misguided map was not based in reality and was handed down in the dead of night without notifying local, state, or federal officials, causing serious confusion in all three counties. I fought to restore the original map and am pleased that Secretary Salazar and Director Groves will issue the proper map reflecting the boundaries that have outlined the Oneida reservation for centuries.”

Maps put out each year by the Census Bureau describe the jurisdictional boundaries of local municipalities as well as Native American areas, including reservation land. Up through 2010, the maps of New York depicted a 32 acre reservation for the Oneida Indian Nation in New York.  For 2011, completely out of the blue, the map depicts a reservation of over 307,000 acres which covers the entire northern half of Madison County, as well as parts of Oneida and Lewis Counties.

“The 32 acres that is governmentally controlled by the Oneida nation should certainly be clearly marked on the map, but to radically expand that boundary to areas where they have no control was flat-out absurd and not based in a correct reading of law or the reality on the ground. Reversing this decision was common sense and I am pleased that Secretary Ken Salazar at Department of the Interior and the Census Bureau heard our arguments and responded correctly,” said Schumer.

In 2008, the Census Bureau put out information about the meaning of the boundaries and how they could be changed.  In a Federal Register notice, 73 FR 67470, it explained that Native American reservations, “(R)epresent geographic areas governed and administered by an American Indian tribe or tribes and held as territory over which the tribe or tribes have governmental authority.” According to the notice, “acceptance of boundary changes requires clear legal documentation supporting any and all changes, as well as the absence of any unresolved litigation involving these boundaries.”  As recently as this year, the Supreme Court agreed to consider the question of the status of the reservation.

Due to the fact that the size and status of the Oneida reservation has been the subject of litigation and debate for years, and because the changed census map causes further confusion and complication in that debate, Schumer demanded that this decision be reversed. The lack of consultation with proper officials, supporting evidence for the new boundaries, and transparency in the decision making process also led Schumer to personally press the case with Interior Department and Census Bureau officials. Today’s announcement that the Department of the Interior and the Census Bureau will reissue the original and correct map containing 32 acres of Oneida land comes after Schumer pushed the agencies to rectify their decision.

The full text of the Interior Department’s letter to the Census Bureau is below:

Mr. Tomothy F. Trainor                                               February 3, 2011
Chief, Geography Division
U.S. Census Bureau
United States Department of Commerce
Washington, D.C. 20233-0001

Dear Mr. Trainor,

I am writing to provide clarification regarding my letter to you dated October 4, 2010, and the litigation associated with the reservation boundaries of the Oneida Nation of New York. As you know, the Census Bureau’s guidance regarding the changes in boundaries for Indian lands notes that “[a]cceptance of boundary changes requires…the absence of any unresolved litigation involving these boundaries.” 73 Fed. Reg. 67,470,67,474 (November 14, 2008)(emphasis added).

I wanted to inform you of unresolved litigation in which the issue of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York’s reservation boundaries has been raised and that certain parties will continue to attempt to raise this issue.

First, there are currently five lawsuits in Federal district court challenging the Interior Department’s May 2008 decision to accept approximately 13,000 acres of land in trust for the Oneida Nation. In these cases, the plaintiffs argued that the Oneida’s reservation had been disestablished. Although this claim was rejected by the district court, it is likely that the plaintiffs will seek further court review on the reservation disestablishment issue.

A second on-going case also potentially implicated the reservation boundary issue. In that case, Madison and other counties sought to foreclose on the Oneida’s fee property for failure to pay taxes. Oneida Indian Nation of New York v. Madison County, 605 F.3d 149 (2d Cir. 2010). Relevant to this discussion, the counties petitioned for certiorari, which was granted on two issues (1) whether tribal sovereign immunity barred the foreclosure actions and (2) whether the historic reservation boundaries remain valid, or whether the Oneida reservation has been disestablished. Madison County v. Oneida Nation of New York (S. Ct. No. 10-72). Thus, as recently as last month, the Supreme Court was poised to hear the reservation boundary dispute. On January 10, 2011, the Supreme Court returned the case to the Second Circuit after the Nation waived its immunity. It is clear, however, that the reservation disestablishment issue will continue to be raised by the counties in this case.

Therefore, there is unresolved litigation in which certain parties will continue to try to challenge the Oneida Nation’s historic reservation boundaries. As this unresolved litigation was in process at the time of your August 2010 inquiry, we believe the Census Bureau should depict the Nation’s reservation as you did in the 2000 census until this litigation is resolved, consistent with your guidelines.

Please note that we stand by the position stated in our letter of October 2010, that the Oneida Reservation has not been disestablished and is intact. This position is legally binding, but may differ from the statistical depiction of the Oneida reservation in the 2010 Census. We agree with the Census Bureau that no legal inference can or should be made from the boundaries referenced in the 2010 Census map files.

Sincerely,

Scott Keep

Assistant Solicitor

Branch of Tribal Government and Alaska

Division of Indian Affairs

cc: Mr. Robert M. Groves

Director, U.S. Census Bureau