President and co-founder of the Catie Hoch Foundation, Gina Peca, has now authored her first book, a memoir, entitled “I Wouldn’t Change a Thing.”

Inspired by her daughter’s life, Peca says, “Catie’s journey through pediatric cancer is so much more than a cancer story. Catie had the ability to find joy in every day things and to see the bright side of each day; this turned out to be a learning lesson for me.  Being able to share her story is a gift. From her first Yankee game to the prom at Sloan-Kettering to Catie’s friendship with JK Rowling, my daughter lived life to the fullest.

Peca says this memoir was published sooner than expected. “I was thrilled that Susan Novotny of the Book House at Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany took an interest in the book and chose it as a Staff Picks Press Book.”

Peca will hold her official book launch and signing at the Book House in Stuyvesant Plaza on Friday, May 31, 2013 starting at 6 p.m.

The cost of the book is $25.  It is important to note that all proceeds from the sale of Peca’s book will go directly to the Catie Hoch Foundation.

The Catie Hoch Foundation is dedicated to helping children while they are in treatment for cancer.  A child’s cancer diagnosis is devastating and the strains on the family are enormous. The Catie Hoch Foundation strives to help alleviate some of the burdens, knowing first hand what families are going through. The Catie Hoch Foundation makes a difference in the lives of children with cancer.

As reported, last night, a SWAT team responded to a wanted man on East Fayette St in Syracuse.

A man wanted on charges stemming from a homicide in Scranton, Pa., is now in custody after a SWAT team deployed in a neighborhood on Syracuse’s East Side in search of the man.

Police say that someone observed 18-year-old Ryan Harding on Tuesday evening on the 2000 block of East Fayette Street. When he saw police officers in view, police say that the suspect ran into a nearby apartment building.

Police said they had a good reason to believe Harding was armed and they determined to lock down the neighborhood. As reported, Harding surrendered without firing a shot after police entered the building he was hiding in around 9:30 p.m.

Harding is now in the custody of US Marshals and more follow-up to come.

LONDON (AP) — For fans of the boy wizard, this could be the most coveted copy of all the “Harry Potter” books in the world.

A first edition copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” that contains author J.K. Rowling’s notes and original illustrations fetched 150,000 pounds ($228,000) at a London auction on Tuesday.

Sotheby’s said the work, offered as part of a charity book sale jointly organized with the English PEN writers’ association, was sold to an anonymous bidder by telephone.

Rowling peppered the book with many personal annotations, including editorial decisions, comments on the process of writing and a note on how she came to create the game of Quidditch.

She also drew about two dozen illustrations in the copy, including a sleeping baby Harry on a door step and an Albus Dumbledore Chocolate Frog card.

As part of the fundraising event, Rowling and dozens of other best-selling authors were asked to “scribble second thoughts, marginalia or drawings” on a first-edition copy of one of their books.

A copy of Roald Dahl’s best-selling children’s book “Matilda” containing new drawings by illustrator Quentin Blake fetched 30,000 pounds ($45,500), while an annotated copy of Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel “The Remains of the Day” was sold for 18,000 pounds ($27,300).

Other participating authors in the charity sale included Ian McEwan, Seamus Heaney, Lionel Shriver and Yann Martel.

In all, the sale raised a total of 439,200 pounds ($666,310).

As I’ve posted before, I’m sure numerous times, I am originally from Oklahoma, and I am no stranger to extreme weather, not excluding my fair share of tornadic activity.

I’ve had to take cover in a storm shelter more than a few times, but as I got older, I just took to watching storms and funnel clouds from the (relative) safety of my back porch.
While that probably isn’t the wisest maneuver, without storm chasers/observers like myself (and other curious midwesterners), we wouldn’t have the clutch (albeit terrifying) footage of Monday’s tornado in Moore, Oklahoma.

If the south/midwest is tornado alley, then Moore, OK is the main plaza. Moore has recorded some of the deadliest tornados and strongest winds in meteorological history. Monday’s disaster was one of the most devastating tornado since Joplin’s 2011 catastrophe which killed more than one hundred people.

Videos and pictures from Monday’s Oklahoma category f-5 tornado can be viewed here.

Also, you can make donations by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 or by visiting redcross.org

The Cavaliers and their owner’s son beat the odds for the second time in three years, winning the lottery Tuesday night to give them the No. 1 pick for the June 27 NBA draft.

Two years after charming viewers by responding to a question about being on stage by saying: “What’s not to like?” the bowtie-wearing son of Dan Gilbert wore a stern look before this one. He said he expected he was done coming here and that he believed the Cavs would be in the playoffs next season.

Then they got a great jump on that goal, earning the first pick even though they had only the third-best odds to do so.

And 16-year-old Nick Gilbert delivered it, just as he did in 2011, when the Cavs used the pick to take eventual Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving.

“Kyrie is a hell of a player … but this also felt almost as good,” Nick Gilbert said. “That was the first time. This is the second time, but man does it feel good to get the first pick this last time. Get that last player to give us a push.”

The Orlando Magic fell back one spot to No. 2, while the Washington Wizards vaulted from the No. 8 spot to third.

Ten years after winning the lottery that landed them LeBron James, the Cavaliers picked up another opportunity to help speed up the rebuilding process since his departure to Miami in 2010.

James’ exit shook a franchise that had become a perennial contender with the Ohio native, but the Cavs aren’t thinking about that now.

“It’s so long ago already. I knew it is only three years but in NBA years it’s like dog years. It seems like it is 15 or 20 years,” Dan Gilbert said. “We’ve been just so focused on building the team the last few years, I can’t look back. There is nothing you can do. I am just happy about today.”

The potential No. 1 pick this year, Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel, is no James. But he could be a nice addition for the Cavs once he’s recovered from a torn ACL — if they keep the pick. They also have Nos. 19, 31 and 33 for new coach Mike Brown, who they rehired after firing Byron Scott following a 24-58 season.

“We were hoping regardless of what pick we got that this would be our last lottery,” Dan Gilbert said. “We thought originally after everything had to be reset that it would be a three-year process. You never know. It could be four. We thought three years, but having No. 1 and 19, we’ve got a pretty good chance of this being the last one for a while.”

Dan Gilbert and the rest of the Cavs entourage — all wearing wine-colored bowties as well — celebrated their latest victory, which came with 15.6 percent odds after they finished with the NBA’s third-worst record at 24-58.

When they won the lottery in 2011, the Cavs had the eighth best odds.

“It feels good,” said Nick, who was born with Neurofibromatosis (NF), a nerve disorder that causes tumors to grow anywhere in the body at any time.

Not even having four-time winner Pat Williams on stage and 25 percent odds could get the No. 1 pick for the Magic. The team with the best odds hasn’t won since 2004, when Orlando won for the third time with Williams representing them and drafted Dwight Howard. The franchise hadn’t been back since 2006.

Even heading back to their Hornets name couldn’t change the luck of the Bobcats, who were lottery losers for the second straight year. Hours after owner Michael Jordan announced they were planning to get back the original nickname of the Charlotte franchise, the Bobcats fell from No. 2 to the fourth spot.

Last year, Charlotte had the best odds of winning after the worst season in NBA history but fell back one spot to second.

The lottery sets the top three teams, and the remainder of the 14 teams finish in inverse order of their record.

Phoenix will pick fifth, followed by New Orleans, Sacramento, Detroit, Minnesota, Portland, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Utah.

The Thunder got the Raptors’ pick as payment of a previous trade because it didn’t move into the top three. Bryan Colangelo represented the team on stage on the day the Raptors announced he would stay on as team president but they would hire a general manager.

Guards Ben McLemore of Kansas and Trey Burke of Michigan, the college player of the year, and Georgetown forward Otto Porter Jr. are considered other top available players.

With uncertainty at the top, this is another year when the No. 1 pick could’ve been a high school player if eligible. Kansas-bound prep star Andrew Wiggins may have been the choice, but the age limit requiring players to be 19 years old and a year out of high school will remain unchanged at least until the players’ association has a new executive director to replace the ousted Billy Hunter.

The union would like the limit to be lowered or scrapped entirely, while the NBA has expressed interest in raising it to 20. It’s on a list of “B-list” items from the 2011 collective bargaining negotiations that the sides still plan to discuss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Brian Sinkoff is a licensed Real Estate agent with Prudential Manor Homes. He’s been in media for over 20 years. Sinkoff is frequent contributor for Time Warner Cable Sports television and also was host of “Sound-off with Sinkoff” – which was on the ESPN Radio affiliate in Albany, NY from 2008-11.

The following section is an open forum where we will happily publish Your Voice anytime. Just email us! The following is from Ben D. 

It was reported earlier this week that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has continuously avoided questions about a video that reportedly shows him smoking crack cocaine despite calls by allies and rivals alike for further comments.

While the video has not been released publicly, I can’t help but wonder WHY stuff like this keeps coming up in politics. Can’t people just go to work and do their job without getting into trouble, or at stirring up controversie and hogging headlines over it?

While there is still no way to verify the truth behind the video, I can’t help but think about this week’s tragedy in Ohio, the building factory collapse in Bangladesh, the fact we still have troops in US and there are countless other examples of things we should be focusing our media on. While the Canadian politician has yet to take questions on the matter, it still seems like it’s simply annoying whether or not it’s valid or not.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this happened to our local politicians but clearly, I’m cynical. (Or am I realist?) Either way, I’m fed up! We all need our politicians to clean their act up.

As a native Oklahoman, it broke my heart to see all the devastation left by Monday’s tornado Moore, and the likely steep cost to repair the widespread damage.

It broke my heart even more to learn that both of Oklahoma’s senators, Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn are notorious voters against disaster relief funds. In the wake of October’s hurricane Sandy, both senators voted to cut spending for disaster relief, claiming it was “wasteful spending.” Both have also voted to slash funds for FEMA multiple times, generally in the wake of other large scale natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

However, it seems the tables have turned for the Senators, now that their home state has been affected by a catastrophic emergency. It seems both Inhofe and Coburn are looking to make concessions in other parts of the federal budget in order to fun Oklahoma’s efforts to rebuild.

The pair also requested that federal officials hasten their actions in approving disaster funds to Oklahomans, after a devastating ice storm affected much of the central part of the state in 2007 (My house didn’t have electricity for a week, it was scary).

This just seems so hypocritical to me. Why would one who represents the state in the top three in regard to federal emergency and natural disaster declarations oppose action to aid other states in similar predicaments?

It’s amazing to me how some politicians are willing to throw anyone else under the bus, but when it comes to their constituency they’re more than able to find room in the budget.

I’m not saying Oklahoma deserves more help than any other victims of natural disasters, I’m saying maybe Oklahomans should realize who they’re voting into positions of power, to make sure they’ll be helpful in times of emergency.

The New York Yankees are going into the soccer business.

The Yankees are partnering with Manchester City to own Major League Soccer’s 20th team, which will be called New York City Football Club and plans to start play in the 2015 season.

Manchester City, owned by Sheik Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, will be the majority owner of the new team. Yankees President Randy Levine will be the lead person responsible for launching it.

“They’ll be running all the soccer. We know our way around New York, how to get things done,” Levine said Tuesday.

The expansion fee for the new team is $100 million. It will compete for attention and dollars with 10 other professional big league teams in the New York market.

MLS has been negotiating with New York City to build a stadium in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, near the home of the New York Mets.

“Flushing is still the preferred site,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said.

However, community groups have opposed using city parkland for a stadium. Manchester City Chief Executive Officer Ferran Soriano said other sites will be considered.

“We need a community that supports us. We need a family that’s going to embrace us,” he said. “So we’re going to continue this discussion. But the first thing we want to do is to listen, listen to the community, listen to everybody.”

NYC FC will start play at an interim venue. New Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009, hosted its first two soccer matches last summer and is the site of an exhibition Saturday between Manchester City and Chelsea. The original Yankee Stadium was the home of the North American Soccer League’s New York Cosmos in 1976.

“Yankee Stadium is an option, as are many places,” Levine said.

The new team is intended to spark a rivalry with the New York Red Bulls, who play in Harrison, N.J.

“The Red Bulls now will have a rival here in the market providing them with that derby-like competition that is such a driver of what makes football so successful around the world,” said Garber, calling the addition of a second New York team a “big transformational event.”

There is a chance NYC FC can serve as a farm team for Manchester City, which in 2012 won its first Premier League title since 1968. Young players unable to break into the Man City squad could be loaned to the MLS team.

“I think naturally it will happen, that some Manchester players will end up playing in New York,” Soriano said. “But the objective and the focus will be to try to find the right players for the New York team. The New York team is a team on its own.”

The Yankees have long been exploring soccer deals. A partnership with Manchester United was announced in 2001, but that turned into a now-expired licensing and broadcasting agreement in which the clubs sold each other’s licensed goods and exchanged television programming. The Yankees’ YES Network has broadcast Arsenal games on a delayed basis since October 2010.

Legends Hospitality, co-owned by the Yankees, Dallas Cowboys and Checketts Partners Investment Fund, takes over hospitality and catering at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium next season under a partnership with Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts that was announced in January. Legends already has started work on premium seats sales.

With the decision completed on team No. 20, MLS can turn attention to No. 21.

Former Los Angeles Galaxy star David Beckham, retiring as a player this weekend, has an option to buy an MLS expansion team at below cost. Miami appears to be a possible market.

“It’s just premature,” Garber said. “Clearly we’ve got to finalize a long-term expansion plan for the league.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Brian Sinkoff is a licensed Real Estate agent with Prudential Manor Homes. He’s been in media for over 20 years. Sinkoff is frequent contributor for Time Warner Cable Sports television and also was host of “Sound-off with Sinkoff” – which was on the ESPN Radio affiliate in Albany, NY from 2008-11.

Daniel Paille snapped a tie with 3:31 left in the third period, and the Boston Bruins put the New York Rangers on the brink of elimination with a 2-1 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday night.

Boston leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 and can advance to the conference finals as early as Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Only three teams in NHL history have rallied from an 0-3 hole to advance.

The Bruins trailed 1-0 heading into the third, but defenseman Johnny Boychuk tied it at 3:10 of the period with his fourth of the playoffs. The Rangers hadn’t lost in regulation when leading after two periods since Feb. 4, 2010.

Boston thought it had grabbed the lead seconds before Paille actually scored when a shot deflected off the mask of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, popped up in the air and landed on the goal line. Lundqvist couldn’t find it before Paille swooped in from behind the net and poked in the puck.

Taylor Pyatt had made it 1-0 in the second period for the Rangers, who were outscored 8-4 in two losses at Boston to begin the series. New York had won nine straight games at home, including three in the playoffs against Washington in the first round.

Lundqvist was sharp until the third period and finished with 32 saves. Tuukka Rask stopped 23 shots in the win.

The Rangers again failed to get their power play untracked, failing in both of their chances and dropping to 0-for-10 in the series. New York has only two power-play goals in 38 opportunities during these playoffs.

Despite being outshot 14-5 in the second period, the Rangers carried a 1-0 lead into the third.

Boychuk was credited with the tying goal after the puck appeared to deflect into the net off Rangers defenseman John Moore.

The game turned rougher moments later when New York forward Chris Kreider was struck under his visor by the stick of Boston’s Tyler Seguin, who was following through on a shot just inside the blue line. Seguin was then clipped in the exchange by the stick of Rangers defenseman Steve Eminger.

Shortly after, Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron had a cut over his eye that left his white jersey bloodstained. No penalties were called on any of the plays.

New York took just its second lead of the series 3:53 into the second period when Pyatt deflected in a shot by defenseman Ryan McDonagh that was fired from the blue line shortly after the Rangers’ second failed power play of the night expired.

New York hasn’t lost in regulation when leading after two periods since Feb. 4, 2010, (86-0-6). The Rangers were 16-0 in those situations during this regular season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Brian Sinkoff is a licensed Real Estate agent with Prudential Manor Homes. He’s been in media for over 20 years. Sinkoff is frequent contributor for Time Warner Cable Sports television and also was host of “Sound-off with Sinkoff” – which was on the ESPN Radio affiliate in Albany, NY from 2008-11.

The 50th Super Bowl will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area and the NFL championship will go to Houston the following year.

Team owners voted Tuesday for the 49ers’ new stadium as host of the 2016 game. That facility in Santa Clara, Calif., is due to open for the 2014 season.

San Francisco beat out South Florida, which was stymied in its bid to stage an 11th Super Bowl when the Florida Legislature did not support financing to renovate Sun Life Stadium.

Houston, which also beat out Miami, was awarded the 2017 title game. It has hosted once before, in 2004.

The only previous Super Bowl played in northern California was at Stanford Stadium in 1985.

When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the 2016 decision, members of the San Francisco bid committee let out a roar of approval, then toasted each other with champagne.

Asked what he believed swayed the owners to vote for San Francisco, York added: “It’s the will power of an entire area that gave an overwhelming push for us.”

It was the first time in a decade that a Super Bowl was awarded on the first ballot.

The Dolphins were denied public money for a stadium upgrade in South Florida following widespread complaints about the public investment sunk into the Marlins’ new baseball home.

Multibillionaire Dolphins owner Stephen Ross contends $350 million in stadium improvements are badly needed, but he doesn’t want to pay for them by himself. Nor does he want a scaled-down renovation of the 26-year-old facility.

Miami has hosted 10 Super Bowls, tied with New Orleans for the most. But neither will get the 50th.

For years, it was thought the NFL would seek to stage the 50th Super Bowl in Los Angeles, where the first one was played (but did not sell out) on Jan. 15, 1967. But with no franchise in LA and no suitable stadium projects approved, that hope disappeared.

Next Feb. 2, the game goes outdoors in a cold-weather site for the first time, at MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands. If that gamble pays off for the NFL, look for other cities in similar climates — Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver — to bid for future Super Bowls.

The 2015 game will be played in the Phoenix area.

Earlier Tuesday, owners approved a $200 million loan for stadium construction in Atlanta. The multipurpose stadium could cost as much as $1 billion, with team owner Arthur Blank committed to funding most of it. Blank, speaking at the NFL’s spring meetings, called the decision by the team owners an “important milestone” in moving the project forward.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Brian Sinkoff is a licensed Real Estate agent with Prudential Manor Homes. He’s been in media for over 20 years. Sinkoff is frequent contributor for Time Warner Cable Sports television and also was host of “Sound-off with Sinkoff” – which was on the ESPN Radio affiliate in Albany, NY from 2008-11.

In this week’s gift from the Internet, there is a website that hosts a celebrity’s image once morphed into a famous, classic painting, creating my favorite new photo gallery. I think it’s such a great idea.

For one example, you can see Johnny Depp in “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Vermeer.

The site, Worth1000, allows users to submit photoshopped works that reflect the power of the human imagination.

The site had unveiled a series that shows people from Weird Al Yankovic to Steve Carell in historic paintings. It’s a fun project and you’ll get a laugh or two. You also might be impressed with the skills some people have.

Here were some of my favorites:

Genius.