Norovirus infects 50 at Hamilton College

CLINTON — Officials at a central New York college have confirmed that norovirus sickened more than 50 students.

Hamilton College in Clinton said Wednesday that testing confirmed norovirus. The highly contagious bug causes diarrhea, nausea, muscle pain, vomiting and other symptoms.

College officials say dining halls, bathrooms and other common areas will be cleaned. The college is also providing disinfectant wipes for students and staff and urged frequent hand washing.

Health officials say norovirus can be transmitted through human contact and contaminated surfaces.

Associate Dean of Students for Health and Safety Jeffrey Landry says sick students should wait two days after their symptoms subside before returning to class.

On Monday, Western Connecticut State University closed two campuses for disinfecting after norovirus sickened about 100 students.

Arrest in 1993 killing of 17-year-old girl

NORTH TONAWANDA — Police say they've made an arrest in a 25-year old murder case of a teenager found badly decomposed in 1993.

North Tonawanda police say they've charged 43-year-old Joseph Belstadt with the murder of Mandy Steingasser. WGRZ-TV reports the 17-year-old Steingasser was last seen alive in near Buffalo in North Tonawanda in September 1993 before her body was found by hikers about a month after her disappearance.

At the time of Steingasser's death, Belstadt was a classmate of hers in North Tonawanda.

Belstadt was arraigned on the charges on Wednesday and he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution indicated it had new forensic evidence but declined to comment further.

It could not immediately be determined if Belstadt had a lawyer.

Audit faults scant oversight of shelters

ALBANY — A new audit is raising concerns about New York state's oversight of domestic violence shelters.

The report issued by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli this week examined the Office of Children and Family Services to determine whether the agency properly oversees more than 150 shelters around the state, which served 11,000 people in 2016.

Auditors said the agency failed to provide reports on fire safety inspections at shelters, even though such reports are required. The audit accuses agency officials of delaying, restricting and denying access to other records needed for the audit.

The report concluded that the agency doesn't understand its duties or deliberately hid information from state auditors.

In a written response the agency called the findings "erroneous" and said confidentiality rules prohibited the release of some records.

— Associated Press