MISS: The New York State Education Department released new numbers on high school graduation rates Monday and the numbers are not encouraging.

Local school district officials say the figures are off for a variety of reasons but drop out rates in this area range from 3 percent to 27.2 percent.

School districts with more than one in 10 students who fail to graduate need to stop blaming unfunded mandates and imperfect study results and take a serious look at how to keep more students in school.

MISS: The dust never seems to settle in the Cato-Meridian Central School District.

Two school board members - Donald Thompson and Patricia Russo - resigned their seats Monday.

Thompson would only hint at his reasons for leaving so abruptly, but it's clear this board has had more than its share of internal squabbles.

The district's taxpayers - and ultimately the student body - are the ones who suffer from such a long streak of inconsistency.

HIT: Auburn Public Theater's Saturday night comedy show is garnering rave reviews.

Stand-up comic Paul Mecurio, who won an Emmy Award writing comedy for “The Daily Show with John Stewart,” presented a style of showmanship rarely experienced in cities the size of Auburn.

And who knew that Carey Eidel - co-owner of Daddabbo's Pizza - was so ... well, funny. Eidel provided the warm-up to what was such a hit that the theater is planning to bring Mecurio back for a return engagement.

HIT: The Knights of Columbus Council No. 207 put on a good breakfast for a good cause.

The Knights hold a series of pancake breakfasts throughout the year to benefit community or academic organizations. Sunday's event will help students in the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES New Visions Legal Professions program make a class trip to Ottawa.