New Driving Laws

Car accidents are the number one cause of teen deaths in the United States. New York developed a new law that went into effect today in an effort to reduce the number of teen crashes. Lara Bryn Greenberg reports.

Practice makes perfect.

That's why the state created a new teen driving law that will change the way drivers under the age of 18 acquire a license.

The law now requires teens to have their learner's permits at least 6 months before taking the road test. They must also have 50 supervised hours, fifteen of which must be after dusk. This is a substantial increase from the original 20 hours. Lastly, they can only drive on other young person in the car unless there's adult supervision.

"There's a lot of rushing to do things. Driving shouldn't be one of them," said John Schaefer.

New York created this law because young drivers have too many distractions on the road. The fact of the matter is cell phones and driving don't mix.

"It's like a special culture setup to support attention deficit. And the problem with that is that those behaviors--once learned--become habits and those are habits that can come behind the wheel," said Schaefer.

Schaefer says besides cell phones, music, fatigue, and too many people in the car are the major reasons for teen crashes. The new changes do not apply to drivers who already have their permits.

SU Moves Up in Polls

Jump for joy.

The Syracuse University men's basketball team moved up one spot in both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today polls to #4. The Orange defeated Georgetown in its only game this past week.

All eyes are on the SU-Villanova game this Saturday. Nova lost both of its games during the week and fell to #7 in the AP and #8 in the ESPN/USA Today. Syracuse still has a game at Providence tomorrow night.

Kansas, Kentucky, and Purdue are the top-three ranked teams, respectively. Five of the top 12 teams in the AP poll hail from the Big East conference.

(Photo from Syracuse.com).

Poll: Lazio Gains Ground in Governor's Race

The following is from the Associated Press:

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A Siena College poll shows Republican Rick
Lazio has pulled ahead of Gov. David Paterson in the race for
governor and is apparently making small gains against potential
Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo.

The former congressman from Long Island moved from a tie with
Paterson in January to take a 46 percent to 39 percent lead.
Lazio remains well behind Cuomo, 26 percent to 63 percent. He
improved by two points, while Cuomo dropped by three.

Cuomo, the state's attorney general, won't say if he'll run and
refuses to comment on what he'd do as governor, although he's
holding governor-sized fundraisers. Forty-one percent of voters say
he should announce his candidacy now.

The poll released Monday questioned 805 registered voters last
Sunday through Friday. It has a margin of error of 3.5 points.

(Photo from libn.com).

NY State Police Search For Driver

New York State police are still looking for the driver of the car that killed a Syracuse University student in a hit and run accident on Saturday.

Police say Jamie Klemczak was attempting to cross the thruway after her car was involved in a minor accident. Klemczak was then struck by a car that did not stop.

Klemczak was a senior at SU.

The vehichle is believed to be a silver Toyota with damage to the front end on the driver's side.

If you have any iformation, you are asked to contact your nearest division headquarters.

(Photo from www.all-about-forensic-science.com).

Two Dead After Crash

Two people aboard a small plane died after the plane crashed into a Southern Illinois home Sunday evening. The deaths were confirmed this afternoon.

As many as 75 firefighters responded. The house was unoccupied at the time of the crash and no one on the ground was injured.

The plane was bound for St. Louis Downtown-Parks airport in Cahokia, just south of St. Louis.

Charges in Basket-Brawl

Update: 2:15 PM

A total of 23 charges--14 misdemeanors and 7 violations--were handed down today, according to Camillus Police Chief Thomas Winn. Four teenage players, two coaches, and two spectators were arrested during the fight. Six people were sent to the Onondaga County Justice Center jail today.

The fight lasted for 5 minutes.


11:30 AM

Eight people will be charged with misdemeanors in the February 8 fight at a Central New York middle school, according to Syracuse.com. The fight broke out during a Camillus Youth Basketball Association game at the West Genesee Middle School.

The fight started after a foul was called in the game. About 30 people were involved, according to reports.

The games were suspended at the West Genesee School District until a proper plan was made to ensure everyone's safety.

(Photo courtesy of Dick Blume, Syracuse.com)

Local Business Prepares for Big Game

This Saturday Syracuse University men's basketball hosts the Villanova Wildcats in what is expected to be a game with Big East and NCAA tournament seeding implications. Businesses along Marshall Street are preparing for the expected increase in fans.

Sandwich-maker Jimmy John's normally sees about 400 people per day. When SU is playing a home game, they see double. But for the SU-Nova game, they are expected around 1,000 customers. A store manager says more people will be called-in to work to help serve all of their customers.

The game is sold-out with 34,616 people expected to attend.