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A former correction officer at a state prison in central New York has been sentenced after admitting to submitting false medical notes to obtain sick leave. 

Stephanie Saber, 29, will serve five years probation after pleading guilty in November to first-degree offering a false instrument for filing. She was sentenced by Seneca County Judge Barry Porsch. 

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, which oversees New York's prisons, referred the matter to the state inspector general's office. The inspector general's investigation found Saber, who was employed at Five Points Correctional Facility in Seneca County, submitted 13 false medical notes between December 2021 and July 2022. 

Saber told investigators she filed the notes, which claimed to be from medical practitioners, as excuses for work absences. 

"The conduct of this correction officer abusing sick leave benefits is particularly egregious because she was in a prime position to know the impact that shortages in correctional facility staffing pose to the safety of staff and incarcerated individuals alike," Inspector General Lucy Lang said. "By forging these notes to justify unwarranted sick days, she betrayed not only her oath to New York state but her colleagues." 

Saber no longer works for DOCCS. The department fired her during the investigation and cooperated with the inspector general's inquiry. 

Daniel Martuscello, acting DOCCS commissioner, said the sentencing shows the department "will not tolerate fraudulent misconduct from staff." 

"As we face critical staffing shortages, this type of behavior further exacerbates the difficulties of this job and does a disservice to the hardworking staff who show up day in and day out to help keep our communities safe," Martuscello added. 

Lang thanked the state police for assisting with Saber's arrest and Seneca County District Attorney John Nabinger for prosecuting the case. 

The New York State Fair is cutting part of its concert lineup in 2024 due to low turnout at past shows, and to save money. 

State Fair Director Sean Hennessey told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ Friday that Suburban Park, one of the fair's top concert venues, will host performances at 8 p.m. daily. However, there won't be afternoon shows at the park. 

Chevy Court will continue to host afternoon and evening performances at 1 and 6 p.m. during the fair. 

At past fairs, two concerts have been held most days at Suburban Park. In 2023, there were afternoon shows scheduled for nine of the fair's 13-day run. 

What Hennessey and fair officials observed, though, is the afternoon concerts were not well-attended. They scaled back some of the weekday afternoon shows during the 2023 fair.

"There really wasn't any blowback. It did save us a few bucks," Hennessey said. "We were able to divert some of those dollars into some bigger shows." 

One of those major acts was Lainey Wilson, a country music star who drew a record 53,200 people for her evening Suburban Park concert on the fair's opening day in 2023. 

The fair booked top-shelf entertainers for those afternoon slots at Suburban Park, Hennessey said, but even on weekends attendance lagged. 

"From a fiscal standpoint, it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend money when you really only have a couple hundred people going to see the show," he continued. "We decided to cut those (in 2024) and devote those dollars to bigger shows, bigger stages and we hope again, from that smart spending standpoint, the patron will have a better experience." 

It was also a challenge to book two concerts daily at the fair's main stages. After the Grandstand was demolished in 2016, Chevy Court became the lead concert venue at the fair. That has changed with the emergence of Suburban Park on the west end of the fairgrounds. Chevy Court continues to host concerts, but Suburban Park tends to get the bigger shows. 

Hennessey reiterated that they want to bring in big names who will draw crowds, but "in a way that's fiscally responsible." To book some acts, he noted, the costs have increased by 20% to 40%. 

Looking ahead to the 2024 fair, Hennessey is excited about the entertainment lineup. While the full schedule will be unveiled in the months leading up to the fair, there were two shows announced this week: TLC, known for hits "No Scrubs" and "Waterfalls," will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23, at Suburban Park; and KIDZ BOP will perform at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, at Chevy Court. 

An Auburn man was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Onondaga County, according to New York State Police. 

The crash occurred Tuesday morning west of Flat Rock Road on Route 321 in the town of Camillus. Mark Lovell, 52, of Auburn, was driving a 2021 Buick when his vehicle was struck by a 2016 Nissan operated by Kaitlin Gold, 33, of Liverpool. 

Troopers said Gold, who was driving eastbound on Route 321, lost control of her vehicle. The vehicle went off the shoulder and Gold overcorrected to get her vehicle back on the road. She made a second correction, which led to the vehicle reentering the eastbound lane and colliding with Lovell's vehicle. 

Lovell was transported to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where he later died. Gold was also sent to Upstate to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. 

State police said Gold may have experienced a medical event before the crash and showed no signs of alcohol- or drug-related impairment. 

The crash investigation is continuing. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal to close up to five New York prisons is an "insult" to correctional staff, Republican lawmakers said Wednesday. 

Members of the Assembly GOP conference rallied at the state Capitol to oppose the prison closure plan. Many of the lawmakers present, including Assemblyman John Lemondes, represent districts with state prisons. Auburn Correctional Facility is in Lemondes' district. 

Hochul's plan, which is included in her 2024-25 state budget proposal, would allow her administration to expedite the prison closures with 90 days' notice. Daniel Martuscello, acting commissioner of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, told lawmakers at a budget hearing last week that the prison closures are necessary due to a "staffing crisis." 

But the lawmakers who participated in the press conference questioned whether closing more prisons will address the staffing problem. Assemblyman Brian Maher, an Orange County Republican, cited statistics from DOCCS that the agency is losing approximately 54 correction officers every two weeks. 

"If and when we close five prisons, that is a not long-term sustainable solution," Maher said. "We are going to be right back here." 

One of the speakers at the event was Alisa, whose full name was not provided because her husband is a correction officer in a New York state prison. Alisa said her husband works excessive overtime — last week, he worked three consecutive 16-hour shifts — and hardly sees his family because the prison needs him to work. 

Staffing levels have fallen since the early 2000s. In 2006, there was a high of 21,505 correction officers, sergeants and lieutenants, according to DOCCS. Last year, there were 15,143 correction officers — the lowest number recorded by the agency since 2003. 

Past prison closures contribute to the declining number of officers. In the last 13 years, the state has closed 24 correctional facilities and eliminated more than 13,000 prison beds. The department says staff reductions "have been consistent with incarcerated population declines." The number of incarcerated individuals in state prisons has dropped by 54.9%, from 72,649 to 32,766, over a 25-year period. 

But opponents of the prison closure plan think there are other factors to consider. Correction officers are overworked and underpaid, they say. Prison violence has increased, with record levels of assaults on incarcerated individuals and staff in 2023. 

Instead of closing more prisons, Assembly Republicans said the state should provide more incentives to recruit and retain correction officers, increase pay and benefits, and provide more resources to combat violence in correctional facilities. 

"We are once again watching ignorance and the lack of common sense govern the state of New York," said Assemblyman Chris Tague, a Schoharie Republican. 

If the state chooses to close more prisons, which will be discussed during budget negotiations between the Hochul administration and legislative leaders, Republican lawmakers think DOCCS should follow existing law which requires a one-year notification instead of expediting the process with 90 days' notice. 

Assemblyman Phil Palmesano, a Corning Republican, panned the 90-day notification that is part of Hochul's prison closure plan. 

"One year is bad enough," he said. "But 90 days is an insult to the working men and women and staff at our correctional facilities." 

The head of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision says a "staffing crisis" is the main reason why Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed the closure of up to five New York prisons in the 2024-25 state budget. 

Acting DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello testified at a budget hearing Thursday that the department has 3,800 vacant positions, including 1,900 corrections officers.

The inability to fill those positions isn't the only factor — Martuscello noted the incarcerated population has decreased by nearly 55% over a 25-year period — but he described the staffing woes as "the main impetus" for potentially closing more prisons. 

"We are in a good position with excess capacity," Martuscello said. "We have 6,000 staffed vacant beds and an additional 6,000 beds which we've consolidated to try to alleviate staffing concerns. We can't consolidate any more, so closures is a way forward so we can make sure we use our staff more efficiently as well as provide the services to the population." 

Hochul is asking the state Legislature for the authority to expedite the closure of up to five prisons in the 2024-25 budget. If the language is included in the final spending plan, the governor could close the correctional facilities with 90 days' notice. 

DOCCS has not identified which of the 44 state prisons could be closed. Martuscello did not provide any information during the budget hearing about the correctional facilities eyed for closures. 

The state has closed 24 correctional facilities and eliminated more than 13,000 prison beds since 2011, according to DOCCS. 

Chris Summers, president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, spoke out against the proposed closures during his testimony. He said closing prisons "is not the answer to address staffing shortages." The union expects more employees will resign or retire if the state shuts down correctional facilities. 

"Our current staffing levels are horrible. Attrition rates are at all-time highs, while recruitment is at an all-time low," Summers said. "Members face unprecedented levels of mandatory overtime to fill staffing vacancies. They see the inside of the prisons more than they see their families." 

Prison violence is also contributing to the problem, according to Summers. In 2023, DOCCS reported 1,671 assaults on staff and 2,107 assaults on incarcerated individuals, both records. 

Despite opposition from the correction officers union, the state received support for the prison closure proposal from an independent watchdog. 

The Correctional Association of New York endorsed the budget proposal in its testimony. The  highlights five prisons with the most empty beds, including Great Meadow (943), Auburn (736), Franklin (620), Clinton (614) and Bare Hill (594). 

The organization, which is authorized to provide oversight of state prisons, has observed staffing shortages during monitoring visits to several correctional facilities. One example provided was Sullivan Correctional Facility, where more than half of the medical services positions were vacant. 

"In addition to considering utilization, CANY urges the executive and legislature to prioritize proximity to major population centers when evaluating which prisons to close and to simultaneously invest in strategies for attracting and retaining qualified staff in the remaining facilities," the association said. 

Hochul and state lawmakers are working toward the goal of passing the state budget by April 1 — the start of the 2024-25 fiscal year.