Press and Sun-Bulletin from Binghamton, New York • Page A1

M-E BOYS, GIRLS CAPTURE TITLES, ID A GANNETT COMPANY PRESSCONNECTS.COM BINGHAMTON, N.Y. PRESS SUN-BULLETIN SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014 DEMOLITIONS OF FLOOD-RAVAGED HOMES BEGIN Drill now, Astorino says at city event Possible GOP hopeful says economy suffers while Cuomo waits By Steve Reilly sreillygannett.com BINGHAMTON If Rob Astorino runs for governor, he is likely to fuel his campaign against Gov. Andrew Cuomo with the Southern Tier's untapped natural gas reserves. Astorino, the county executive of Westchester County and potential Republican gubernatorial contender, on Friday took aim at Cuomo over ongoing delays to hydraulic fracturing for natural gas under his administration. "Tens of thousands of new jobs could be created along with much-needed energy and billions of dollars in new revenue to this state, which could be put back to reduce property taxes, to reduce state taxes, and to help education and other essential services," he said, drawing applause from a crowd of about 400.

Speaking for 18 minutes at the Broome County Republican See ASTORINO, Page 7A DIGITAL POLL Take our online poll at pressconnects.com polls: Should New York approve natural gas drilling? I MMV EBB AW Crews from LCP Group demolish a home at 380 Second Ave. in Vestal on Thursday. The home was damaged during the 2011 flood. More than 300 Tier homes expected to be razed this year, evoking bittersweet memories Binghamton murder victim was strangled with cord By David Robinson drobinson6gannett.com While an excavator sat menacingly beside her former Town of Vestal home, Diane Peris Caf ferty thought about all the celebrations held inside its walls before floodwaters forced her to relocate in 2011. Cafferty, now a 62-year-old retiree, recalled buying the modest one-story home off Second Avenue nearly 40 years ago.

She teared up while remembering a lifetime's worth of memories, including the birthdays and other precious moments from raising her three children at the house, which was just moments from being demolished early Thursday. "I'm here to close a chapter in my life," Cafferty said. Demolition of more than 300 flood-damaged Southern Tier homes, including Caf ferty's residence and others in Vestal, is expected to finish by the end of this year, marking a major milestone in the lengthy recovery after tropical storms devastated the region in September 2011. With 18 houses scheduled to be razed in the coming months, the City of Binghamton is the latest community to finalize demolitions under a federal buyout program connected to the historic natural disaster. See FLOOD, Page 4A A home on 3 Avon Road in Binghamton is one of several flood-damaged homes that are planned to be demolished.

KRISTOPHER RADDER STAFF PHOTOS By Anthony Borrel I i aborrelligannett.com BINGHAMTON Police found Christina Powell strangled with an electrical cord March 22, 2013, in the basement of her Town of Binghamton home. Her friend, Mario Masciarelli, was found upstairs fatally beaten. That police account emerged at a pretrial hearing Feb. 18, according to Broome County Sheriff's Capt. Fred Akshar, who testified.

The night before their deaths, Powell, 35, and Masciarelli, 24, were at the Airport Inn in the Town of Maine, and at the time, a vehicle allegedly borrowed by her estranged husband, Aaron Powell, 40, was spotted on the inn's surveillance video, according to the account. A four-day manhunt spawned by the See MURDER, Page 4A 'Everything was gone, and we've been rebuilding our lives ever DIANE PERIS CAFFERTY Her Second Avenue home in the Town of Vestal was demolished Thursday The Binghamton Press Co. 231-SOLD. PAGE 1C INSIDE CLASSIFIED 29 15 Details on 2A For subscription or customer service, please call 1-800-253-5343 Ask how you can save with EZ-Pay! Business 6A Celebrations 3B Comicspuzzles 4B-5B Horoscope 4B Local State 3A Nation World 1B Obituaries 10A-12A Sports 1D Television 6B Viewpoints 8A 2 $LUU For home delivery pricing, see Page 2A aHwyM itextjati! brought to you by PRfiSS SUN-BULLETIN A GANNETT COMPANY.