Daily Record (Rochester, NY) articles from November 2007

Daily Record (Rochester, NY) archives from November 2007

22 indicted in upstate New York gangs, drugs initiative.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced this week the indictment of 22 New Yorkers, mostly Niagara Falls residents, who are accused of taking part in a "highly coordinated narcotics distribution...

Investment in non-residential construction jumps.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck "Investment in private nonresidential construction jumped 12 percent in the third quarter, the eighth straight quarter this investment category has outpaced gross domestic product growth," Associated General...

NY joins 'Cap and Trade' emissions reduction program.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck Gov. Eliot Spitzer this week announced the state's participation in the country's first "Cap and Trade" emissions reduction program, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is an agreement by 10 Northeast...

Rochester law firm Wolford & Leclair splits.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck The law firm of Wolford & Leclair LLP is no longer, firm leaders announced this week. Paul Leclair, who shared a shingle with Michael Wolford since 1993, and three other Wolford & Leclair partners have formed Leclair...

Hydropower for four Western NY businesses.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck Low-cost hydropower was allocated for four Western New York businesses this week, Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced, enabling the creation of 173 new jobs and $18.5 million in capital investment in Niagara and Erie...

Director John Gerhard retiring from Nixon Peabody LLP.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck After serving 25 years with the law firm of Nixon Peabody LLP, Executive Director John Gerhard retired on Thursday, the firm announced. Gerhard was responsible for the administrative operations since 1982, then Nixon,...

Commentary: Cause for concern for valuation professionals.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Thomas R. Chiavetta On Oct, 20, the IRS issued "Appeals Settlement Guidelines -- Family Limited Partnerships and Family Limited Liability Corporations." These guidelines, considered to-gether with the penalty provisions of...

Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice fellowship awarded to Albany Law School alumna.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck Penfield native and Albany Law School alumna Alison Bates recently was selected as the next Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice Fellow at the Empire Justice Center's Rochester office. Bates began work there on Sept. 5. As part...

Commentary: Do you really think we need to have this discussion?
November 2, 2007... Byline: Scott Forsyth Eavesdropping by the National Security Agency on international telephone calls? Papers opposing a motion to suppress data collected by the NSA sealed at the request of the Justice Department? A court decision on the...

Commentary: Technology and the attorney-client privilege.
November 3, 2007... Byline: Nicole Black The attorney-client privilege was significantly weakened by a recent New York County Supreme Court decision. In Scott v. Beth Israel Medical Center Inc., 2007 NY Slip Op. 27429, the court held that a New York...

The Salvation Army in Rochester needs bellringers.
November 6, 2007... Byline: Tara Buck The familiar ring of The Salvation Army bells will soon be heard at area shopping centers and volunteers are needed for this year's Red Kettle Campaign. Maj. Charles Deitrick, commanding officer of The Salvation Army in...

Monroe County's Campaign for Justice fundraiser to support free legal services for the poor.
November 6, 2007... Byline: Tara Buck The annual Campaign for Justice fundraiser to support free legal services for the poor in Monroe County will be held Nov. 13, 14 and 27 and will feature more than 100 volunteers calling on lawyers and area businesses to...

Monroe County Clerk Cheryl Dinolfo sues New York DMV.
November 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Report Monroe County Clerk Cheryl Dinolfo on Friday announced her filing of a lawsuit against the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles in an attempt "to stop its plan to issue driver's license to illegal...

Western New York law firms announce staffing changes: November 6, 2007.
November 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Report Goldberg Segalla LLP announced Christopher Belter, a partner of the firm, was appointed as the chairman of The Defense Research Institute's Law Committee. Belter concentrates his practice on the areas of...

Affordable housing units financed by New York housing agencies.
November 6, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck New York State recently announced $510 million in financing for the construction and renovation of 1,182 affordable housing units statewide. The projects and their financing were approved by the boards of the New York...

National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor reversal sought by N.Y. agencies.
November 7, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck The New York State Public Service Commission and the Department of Environmental Conservation this week filed separate petitions with the U.S. Department of Energy requesting a new hearing following the recent decision...

2007 Monroe County filing deadlines scheduled.
November 7, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck All matters requiring a signed order or decree prior to the end of December for estate tax, income tax or other reasons (including judicial settlement proceedings, Petitions for Discharge, and Petitions for Advanced...

University at Buffalo Law School Dean Nils Olsen to receive Edwin F. Jaeckle Award.
November 7, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck University at Buffalo Law School Dean Nils Olsen is to be bestowed with the school's highest honor on Nov. 13, when he will receive the Edwin F. Jaeckle Award for "his decade of distinguished leadership to the Law...

Rochester receives $1.6M for lead poisoning prevention.
November 7, 2007... Byline: Danielle Derringer Mayor Robert J. Duffy announced last week that the City of Rochester has received $1.6 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. The...

Commentary: How does a weak dollar affect us?
November 7, 2007... Byline: Kevin B. Murray On Nov. 2, the U.S dollar fell to an all-time low versus the European Euro. The drop in the dollar's value compared to the Euro is more than 9 percent so far this year, and that comes on the heels of double digit...

News Briefs.
November 7, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck Electric Transmission Corridor Reversal Sought The New York State Public Service Commission and the Department of Environmental Conservation this week filed separate petitions with the U.S. Department of Energy...

Commentary: Mortgage points revealed: They may not be as bad as you think.
November 7, 2007... Byline: Michael Swanson Much news lately has concerned whether points should be paid in mortgage transactions. Most advise never to pay points in any situation. However, this is not an accurate statement. There are times when paying points...

Rochester Legal Briefs: November 8, 2007.
November 8, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck New Conduct Rules Proposed Following a five-year study of the rules governing lawyers' ethics by the New York State Bar Association's Committee on the Standards of Attorney Conduct, the Association's House of Delegates...

Gov. Spitzer addressing irresponsible home lending practices.
November 9, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Gov. Eliot Spitzer and New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on Thursday met with members of the governor's Halt Abusive Lending Transactions (HALT) Task Force to address "the subprime and foreclosure...

Rochester professionals offer staging tips for selling homes.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Danielle Derringer It's common sense that a house on the market should look as appealing to possible buyers. When everyone has a different opinion on just what is appealing, however, an interior design specialist could prove...

Staged to sell.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Danielle Derringer It's common sense that a house on the market should look as appealing to possible buyers. When everyone has a different opinion on just what is appealing, however, an interior design specialist could prove...

Commentary: In debt and financially overweight.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Kenneth J. Burke How did we get here? This is a common question asked by single and married individuals during financial planning meetings. The real question is, "How did we accumulate so much debt?" The answer is really quite...

NY State Bar Assn. providing free legal help for veterans.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck Members of the military and their families are eligible to receive free legal advice through the New York State Bar Association's (NYSBA) Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS), as well as through Lawyer...

Commentary: How do you want to be remembered?
November 12, 2007... Byline: Langston D. McFadden How do I want to be remembered? I often ask myself that question. As a young child, and even as a young adult, my goal in life was to be remembered for being rich and famous. I told myself I would have...

Commentary: Are you prepared for a bear market?
November 14, 2007... Byline: Dana Consler This past week was pretty ugly for the U. S. stock market, wasn't it? Wednesday through Friday was the worst percentage decline in five years for the broad market indices. The market peaked on Oct. 9 and since then is...

Rochester Legal Briefs: November 14, 2007.
November 14, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck Nixon Peabody Hires Sustainability Officer Nixon Peabody LLP earlier this week announced the appointment of Carolyn S. Kaplan to the newly-established role of chief sustainability officer. Kaplan, a Rochester native,...

Scharf shares tribunal experiences during program in Rochester.
November 14, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth Stull Michael Scharf, a soft-spoken man with an unassuming, almost apologetic manner, is one of half a dozen international experts selected to help train the Iraqi tribunal that tried Saddam Hussein. Scharf has written...

Lessons in house flipping.
November 16, 2007... Byline: Danielle Derringer It's difficult to watch HGTV without seeing handfuls of shows in which someone takes on the challenge of flipping a house. Although the steps seem simple -- buy cheap, fix it up, sell for a better price and reap...

Commentary: The latest Statement on Auditing Standards.
November 16, 2007... Byline: Megan Broomfield Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 114 supersedes the guidance contained in SAS No. 61, Communication with Audit Committees, as amended. This SAS establishes standards and provides guidance on matters to be...

U.S. House approves attorney client privilege protection.
November 16, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved H.R. 3013, the Attorney-Client Privilege Protection Act of 2007. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., seeks to roll back harmful federal...

Rochester Legal Briefs: November 16, 2007.
November 16, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record Staff The most recent set of decisions from the Fourth Department addressed appeals under the Sex Offender Registration Act. Nine appeals were decided; in each, the Appellate Division upheld the rulings of the...

NY State Board of Law Examiners records 88.2 percent bar passage rate.
November 16, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck The New York State Board of Law Examiners on Thursday announced an 88.2 percent bar exam pass rate for graduates of the state's 15 law schools who took the July exam for the first time. The rate is the highest ever...

Rochester Real Estate Spotlight: Mark Siwiec.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Danielle Derringer Mark Siwiec has been selling real estate for 18 years and said recently every year keeps getting better. Siwiec is an agent with RE/MAX Realty Group in Pittsford and currently ranked second among Monroe County...

Monroe County Family Court celebrates National Adoption Day and new 'Forever Families'.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth Stull Little girls in pink satin and bows wriggled in the front row of a courtroom at Monroe County Family Court on Friday morning, gazing about as other new "forever families" filled the audience. At the court's annual...

Greater Rochestesr Association of Realtors: Home sales rise in October, median sale price falls.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Report Existing single-family home sales are up by 5.9 percent compared to last month, according to the Greater Rochestesr Association of Realtors (GRAR). The number of homes listed for sale increased by 1.6...

Western New York On The Move.
November 20, 2007... Dixon Schwabl hired Nellie Hedegard and Jessica Stratton. Hedegard was hired as an account manager. She works with clients to develop strategic marketing initiatives and recommends tactical efforts throughout the course of the client...

New York-based Dixon Schwabl hires Nellie Hedegard and Jessica Stratton.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Dixon Schwabl hired Nellie Hedegard and Jessica Stratton. Hedegard was hired as an account manager. She works with clients to develop strategic marketing initiatives and recommends tactical efforts throughout the...

New York-based Ted Collins Tree and Landscape hires Bryan Frank.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Ted Collins Tree and Landscape hired Bryan Frank as a tree and landscape consultant. He is responsible for landscape and horticulture consultation and assessment as well as the development of landscape design.

Rochester attorney Greg Connors selected to serve on Alfred University's board of trustees.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Alfred University announced Greg Connors, Esq., was selected to serve on the university's board of trustees. Connors is a founding partner of the law firm Connors & Ferris LLP, Rochester.

New York-based Maplewood Nursing and Rehabilitation hires Mike Fall and Matt Wooster.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Maplewood Nursing and Rehabilitation hired Mike Fall and Matt Wooster. Fall was hired as dining service director and will supervise all aspects of preparation and the dining services operation. Wooster was hired...

New York-based Karpus Investment Management promotes two, hires one.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Karpus Investment Management promoted Christopher T. Raby and William G. Dostman III to analyst/portfolio managers and hired Z. Andrew Yarumian as managing director of institutional relationships.

Phillips Lytle LLP attorney David J. Luzon participates in N.Y. State Bar Assn. CLE seminar.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Phillips Lytle LLP announced that David J. Luzon, an attorney with the firm, recently participated in a New York State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education seminar titled "Introduction to Estate Planning."...

Rochester, New York-based Bonadio Group announces new hires.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Bonadio Group hired LaKeisha M. Williams, Kimberly M. Federico, Cheryl L. English, Colleen C. Donaldson and Stephanie R. Carter. Williams was hired as a bookkeeper and will be working in the small business...

President of Heitz & Associates to serve as chairperson of public policy of MADD of N.Y. State.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Heitz & Associates, P.C. announced that William R. Heitz, president, was appointed to serve as the state chairperson of public policy of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) New York State. He will advocate...

New York-based Eastman Dental Center hires Donna Barbato as secretary in pediatric division.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Eastman Dental Center hired Donna Barbato as a secretary in the pediatric division. She is responsible for supporting the chair of pediatric dentistry, as well as the pediatric clinic.

Snyder Corp. hires Kathi Crowley as director of marketing.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Snyder Corp. hired Kathi Crowley as director of marketing. She will oversee the marketing efforts and business development of several businesses.

SWBR Architects' project manager Robert Simonetti receives his LEED Certification.
November 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff SWBR Architects announced Robert Simonetti, project manager, recently received his LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification, offered through the U.S. Green Building Council. This...

The Daily Record in Rochester hires new legal reporter.
November 21, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The Daily Record recently hired Elizabeth Stull, Esq., as a legal reporter. She has been a reporter and editor at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and a reporter at the New York Law Journal. "We are extremely lucky to...

Rochester-based Clark Patterson Associates introduces new name, new look.
November 21, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck Rochester-based Clark Patterson Associates, a leading architectural and engineering firm, last week introduced a new name and new look across its network of 12 offices. The firm is now known as Clark Patterson Lee,...

Commentary: Mangosteen juice: Is it really the doctors' choice?
November 21, 2007... Byline: David J. Kozlowski A full-color, four-page newspaper-style newsletter is stacked by a checkout counter at a local delicatessen. A banner across the top proclaims it is a "Special Report," and the newsletter's title, "The Doctors'...

Henrietta-based Riverview GMAC affilates with GMAC Real Estate.
November 21, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck Barbara Strassner, owner of Riverview GMAC, recently announced that her company has accepted an invitation to affiliate with GMAC Real Estate, effective Aug. 1. "We believe this is the best time to increase our service...

Commentary: Lawsuits surrounding 401(k) fees.
November 21, 2007... Byline: Marijoyce Ryan Over the past 12 months, the 401(k) industry saw a spate of class-action suits brought by employees of some high-profile companies including Boeing, Caterpillar, Deere, Bechtel, Kraft, General Dynamics, United...

N.Y. State Commission on Judicial Conduct annual report released.
November 21, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth Stull The State Commission on Judicial Conduct saw a record-breaking number of new investigations last year, according to its recently released 2007 Annual Report. Only one Rochester-area judge, a part-time town justice...

Commentary: Single Filing Rule Expanded to Allow Piggybacking...
November 26, 2007... Byline: Lindy Korn Fairness trumps technicality when interpreting filing requirements. If a previous, similar charge has been filed against an employer, an employee can file a claim that otherwise would be untimely by either joining the...

Commentary: Dancing with the devil in New York.
November 26, 2007... Byline: Nicole Black "Guess*ti*mate: an estimate usually made without adequate information -- guess*ti*mate\transitive verb" -- Merriam Webster's online dictionary Last week, in a press release, the New York State Board of Bar...

Rochester legal community's 22nd Annual Campaign for Justice is in full swing.
November 27, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Report The 22nd annual Campaign for Justice, the Rochester area legal community's drive to support free legal services for the poor, is in full swing. While Phone-A-Thon calling is set to end today, active...

Commentary: In fixed income investing, yield is king.
November 28, 2007... Byline: Cody B. Bartlett Jr. In the world of fixed income investing, yield is king. It was a "push" for yield that caused credit spreads -- yield increase over a comparable Treasury to compensate for default risk -- to narrow so...

Rochester Government Briefs: November 28, 2007.
November 28, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer nominates Judge Ciparick to COA Gov. Eliot Spitzer on Monday nominated Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick to continue her service as an associate judge of the New York State Court of Appeals when...

Second Circuit rules robbery conviction not predicate offense.
November 28, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A defendant's juvenile conviction for robbery does not count as a predicate offense towards finding him a "violent felon" under the Armed Career Criminal Act if his guilty plea didn't establish he used a firearm,...

Niagara Falls judge should be removed, commission says.
November 29, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth Stull A Niagara Falls judge who lost his cool over a ringing cell phone in his courtroom should be removed from office, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has announced. City Court Judge Robert M. Restaino...

Monroe County clerk warns new homebuyers about deed 'scam'.
November 29, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck Monroe County Clerk Cheryl Dinolfo on Tuesday sought to alert the community to the fact that solicitations from New York Record Retrieval Inc. are being sent to new homebuyers seeking nearly $60 for certified copies of...

N.Y. State Bar Association expands to honor more attorneys.
November 29, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck New York State Bar Association President Kathryn Grant Madigan this week announced expansion of the Empire State Counsel program, which traditionally has honored attorneys who volunteer services to individual clients...

Will the U.S. Supreme Court shoot down gun laws?
November 30, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth Stull For the first time in 70 years, the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to rule on the touchy subject of gun control. The court recently announced that it will hear an appeal from city officials in Washington, D.C., who...

Alfred State townhouses completed by Rochester-based SWBR Architects.
November 30, 2007... Byline: Danielle Derringer Rochester-based SWBR Architects recently announced the completion of six Alfred State townhouses at SUNY Alfred State College of Technology, Alfred NY. The 150-bed townhouse-style residence halls house five or...

News Briefs.
November 30, 2007... Byline: Tara E. Buck Top Businesswomen Nominations Sought Rochester Women's Network is accepting nominations for its Up & Coming Businesswomen's Award celebration, to be held during the 12th annual RWN Businesswomen's Conference on May 5...

Commentary: Recent IRS rule changes and announcements.
November 30, 2007... Byline: James W. Rahmlow How to claim undeliverable refund checks Unclaimed refund checks for about 115,000 taxpayers are now in the hands of the IRS. The amount of refunds owed to them exceeds $100 million. In general, refund checks...

Top businesswomen nominations sought by Rochester Women's Network.
November 30, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Rochester Women's Network is accepting nominations for its "Up & Coming Businesswomen's Award" celebration, to be held during the 12th annual RWN Businesswomen's Conference on May 5 at the Rochester Riverside...

Rochester-based Nixon Peabody LLP's Richard A. Marx receives environmental quality award.
November 30, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Richard A. Marx, a senior environmental engineer at Nixon Peabody LLP, recently received this year's Hugh E. Cummings Environmental Quality Award. Marx has worked within the law firm's environmental practice...