Summit to assess state’s efforts to reform development

How do upstate employers feel about Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s efforts to reshape economic development across upstate New York?

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership, through its upcoming Accelerate Upstate summit in Buffalo, aims to find out.

The half-day conference, set for Jan. 29 in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, will be a follow-up gathering to the initiative’s first summit in August 2011 that focused on ways to strengthen the upstate workforce, expand the state’s ties to Canada and bridge the divide between upstate and downstate.

This time, the summit will examine the changes that have been made in the state’s economic development efforts during the first two years of the Cuomo administration and what employers want to see from the state going forward.

“A lot has happened over the last two years, and a lot of it has been very good,” said Craig Turner, the Partnership’s vice president of government relations. “We want to get a snapshot of how employers feel about it and how they feel going forward.”

Under Cuomo, the state has made significant changes to its economic development apparatus, launching regional development councils, creating a single funding application for companies seeking various forms of state aid, and pledging $1 billion in economic support for the long struggling Buffalo Niagara economy.

“The question, two years into this, is whether this is working, or are there other things that need to be addressed,” Turner said.

The conference is expected to attract about 150 people, about half the number that attended the inaugural summit. But the upcoming event also will be webcast through cable news network YNN, potentially creating an even broader audience, Turner said.

Accelerate Upstate has commissioned John Zogby to conduct a poll of upstate employers, the results of which will be delivered during a lunchtime address. The results could help shape the initiative’s advocacy efforts, Turner said.

The event will feature a panel discussion on the year-old regional development council initiative, as well as a presentation by James McConeghy, the chief financial officer of Chobani Inc., about the Greek-style yogurt maker’s experiences doing business in New York, including its recently announced plans to expand its upstate operations, which currently employ more than 1,200 workers.

Joan Snyder Kohl, a workplace talent developer, will discuss ways to recruit and retain younger workers, while a second panel discussion will focus on ways upstate can capitalize on its location between New York City and major Canadian markets.

The Socorro Police Department prevented bloodshed the night of Dec. 1 when they answered a call to clear a pack of troublemakers out of a resident’s yard.

SPD detective Sgt. Richard Lopez said although the men have gang ties, the victim, a Socorro man who lives on Main Street, was not afraid of them. Lopez said most people are intimidated by these kind of people, but the victim — whom Lopez has known a long time and who is “armed to the teeth” — is not one.

“He actually told our dispatcher, ‘Your officers better get over here and get these guys off my property or I’m going to start taking them out,’” Lopez said. “And he probably would have. It was just a matter of time.”

Lopez said the victim considered the men “punks” and probably would have killed a few of them if police hadn’t shown up — “and they went down there asking for it.” Instead, four Socorro men were arrested for unlawful assembly,High quality stone mosaic tiles. disorderly conduct and resisting officers.

He said many of the people trying to fight the victim that night have ties with Sure?os 13, one of the largest criminal street gangs in the nation. The gang has been featured on the History Channel’s “Gangland” cable television series. Lopez said they often refer to themselves as SUR 13, which stands for “Southern United Race.” He added police can’t say all of the men picking a fight with the victim are gang members, but all are affiliated with the Sure?os.

Police reports state officers were dispatched to the victim’s Main Street residence about 10:35 p.m. regarding people starting a fight over an earlier fight that happened at El Camino Bar. The first officer at the scene noticed several men in front of the home,Interlocking security cable ties with 250 pound strength makes this ideal for restraining criminals. along with a white SUV and a brown pickup.Interlocking security cable ties with 250 pound strength makes this ideal for restraining criminals. As the officer left his patrol unit, the men took off running. The officer identified two of the runners as Lawrence Silva and Scott Chew.

The officer pursued the man in the white muscle shirt on foot, according to the report. The man ran behind a residence and jumped a fence, falling to the ground. The officer told the man to stay on the ground, but the man jumped up and to flee again. That was when the officer deployed his OC spray, or pepper spray, and told the man to get on the ground.

Once more the man defied the officer, the report states, so the officer sprayed the man with the pepper spray. The man then started to turn in circles.The MaxSonar ultrasonic sensor offers very short to long-range detection and ranging. The officer took the man to the ground and placed him in handcuffs, then escorted him back to the police car and called for an ambulance to treat him for the pepper spray. Medics arrived and treated the man, who was identified as Adan Lujan.

The officer read Lujan his Miranda rights, then asked him what was going on. According to the police report, Lujan told the officer he was going for a ride with his friends and they went to the victim’s residence to see what had happened between the victim and the other man who was fighting with him at the bar, to see what was up between them. The officer asked if it was related to gangs or any biker gangs, and Lujan allegedly replied, “Yup, I’m from Southside.”

Detective Lopez explained the Sure?os, or “southerners,” are the most common gang members found in the Socorro area and in the Southwest. He said very seldom are members of other major gangs seen here. He said there are also Norte?os, or “northerners,” in New Mexico, but they generally flock farther north. He said the last two victims murdered within the city limits of Socorro were Norte?os members.

The police report states that after his Southside comment, no further questions were asked of Lujan and the officer called for a tow of the white SUV. While doing the tow inventory for the SUV, the officer found a leather Poor Boy jacket with the name “Thirteen” in the vehicle, along with a sledge hammer. The officer transported Lujan to SPD to complete paperwork, then on to the Socorro County Detention Center where Lujan was booked.

Two other officers assisted in apprehending the running suspects. The second officer dispatched to the victim’s Main Street residence was advised en route that the group took off running when the first officer showed up. According to the second officer’s report, when he arrived on scene the first officer had Lujan in custody and said the rest of the group ran toward the railroad tracks.

The second officer began patrolling the area to find the other running suspects. He was joined by a third officer, and they found three men walking north on the ditch bank above Lemitar Lane not far from the scene at the victim’s home. The officers met with them, according to police reports, and identified them as Lawrence Silva, Scott Chew and Henry Padilla.

The second officer knew that Silva had a warrant for his arrest stemming from an incident earlier that night, so the officer handcuffed Silva to detain him and ran his information through the National Crime Information Center database to confirm it. According to police blotters, a Socorro woman reported about 7:10 p.m. that Silva allegedly broke the window on the front door to her residence, causing $200 worth of damage.

The NCIC check confirmed Silva’s warrant. According to the police report, the officer searched Silva and found four Baggies of green stuff in the left inside pocket of his jacket. Silva was arrested and taken to SPD for paperwork, then booked into jail.Find detailed product information for howo spareparts and other products.