Leading off today: Liverpool AD George Mangicaro returned to work July 1 after being suspended with pay since September 2006, The Post-Standard reported today.

   It was the latest development in a 34-month saga that appears to have ended with a settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed.

   Bonnie Ladd, the district's director of computer education and service, will return to her old job on Aug. 3. She was suspended with pay in April 2007. Between salaries, legal fees and settlements paid to the administrators, the two cases may ultimately cost Liverpool taxpapyers more than $1 million; Mangicaro and Ladd agreed to drop their federal lawsuit claiming the district retaliated against them for blowing the whistle on financial mismanagement.

   School board President J. Mark Lawson said a confidentiality agreement prevented him from disclosing details of the settlement, which the board unanimously approved June 29.

   "We've been at a stalemate for a long time," Lawson said. "The question was not only can we prevail in these cases, but how much money do we want to spend before we get there?"

   "I feel I've been vindicated by getting my old job back," Mangicaro said.

   Speaking of ADs: Assistant principal Barabara Gardner has been appointed as the AD at Gates Chili, the Democrat and Chronicle reported. The 28-year veteran of the district replaces Chris Hodge, who resigned under pressure from the school board earlier this year.

   Former Lansing AD Ed Redmond now has that title at Ithaca High, The Ithaca Journal reported. The former Lansing football and baseball coach was an associate principal at Ithaca last year while also coaching football and will retain that title in addition to his new duties.

   New football coaches: Defensive coordinator Al McNall has been promoted to head football coach at Lansingburgh. He replaces Pete Porcelli, who left after nine years to take over at Albany High.

   McNall, an assistant for 10 years, said he’s “honored and excited” to take over the program, which was 4-5 a year ago after playing in the 2007 NYSPHSAA Class A final.

   "I feel fortunate that they have the confidence in me to keep the program going in a positive way,” he told The Record. "I’m honored that they feel I can keep the program successful.”

   Meanwhile, Niagara-Wheatfield has named Holland, N.Y., native and former CFL player David Hack as its coach. The five-time all-star for the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League replaces Al Pogel, who

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stepped down this spring.

   Hack, who spent last season as an assistant at Buffalo State, will also teach physical education at N-W, The Niagara Gazette reported. He previously coached at St. Francis High School and Erie Community College.

   Former sports editor dies: Former Democrat and Chronicle and Rochester Times-Union sports editor Tom Batzold died this morning as a result of complications from a stroke he suffered June 8. He was 56.

   "Batz" began his career at The Post-Standard. He joined The Times-Union in 1976 and became sports editor at the D&C in 1997.

   He was "the enemy" to me in my early years as a sportswriter as he oversaw high school sports coverage at the T-U at the time I was covering the beat for the D&C. We eventually became co-workers, and I came to admire his relentless dedication to covering scholastic sports. He grasped the value of "local" sports coverage long before the rapid rise of the Internet forced newspapers to regear their approach to coverage.

   He was also an enthusiastic contributor of information for the weekly New York State Sportswriters Association newsletters.

   He is survived by his wife, Pam, five children and one grandson.

   Extra points: Congratulations to my former newspaper co-worker Ken Henry. The former East High star was one of nine people elected to the Section 5 Basketball Hall of Fame. Former Lyons coach Dean Schott Sr., recently inducted into the state hoops hall of fame, will also be enshrined Nov. 14.