Skyrocketing demand and supply challenges are pushing up chocolate prices ahead of Easter.

Demand for chocolate is rising at its fastest in three years, but farmers in West Africa can't keep up, meaning higher prices for chocolate bunnies and other cocoa based treats around the Easter holidays, Bloomberg reports.

The cost of cocoa beans reached a 30-month high in March, and prices could continue to rise to $3,210 per metric ton by December—the highest they have been since July 2011.

Cocoa butter is a byproduct of the crushed beans that gives chocolate its texture and snap, and makes up 20 percent of a chocolate bar's weight. The price of cocoa butter in the U.S. is up 86 percent from a year ago.

That, combined with record milk prices and a 20 percent increase in sugar futures have forced confectioners to raise prices, Bloomberg reported.

Easter and Christmas chocolate sales are expected to jump five percent to $12.7 billion this year.

The increase in demand comes in part from emerging markets like Asia, Ecobank's head of soft commodities Edward George told NBC News. Consumption of chocolate in China has tripled over the last four years.

"If we do see more and more cocoa beans sucked into the Asian market, and they become scarcer, then inevitably prices will go up." George said. "It could be that cocoa becomes again a real luxury product, like champagne."

On the supply side, El Niño weather patterns could bring dry winds to growers in the Ivory Coast and Ghana. With a 65 percent chance of the weather pattern developing ahead of the October season, major growers could be facing dried out crops, Bloomberg reported.

George also said that confectioners may switch to cocoa butter substitutes like palm oil, shea butter or cotton seed oil, which could give chocolate a different taste, and even prevent it from being called "chocolate."

According to ConfectioneryNews.com, the FDA allows cocoa butter alternatives in the production of chocolate products, but the result is referred to as compound coating, not chocolate, and packaged as "chocolate flavored."

Have you noticed higher than usual chocolate prices this Easter holiday? Leave a comment below.

The cold winter might be over, but its effects continue to linger.

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The near-record ice cover on the Great Lakes this winter could keep temperatures cooler this spring, says AccuWeather.com

This winter's ice cover, which peaked at 92 percent in early March, was the second-highest since records began in 1973. Even now, 39 percent of the total surface of the five lakes remain covered with ice -- mainly on Superior and the northern sections of Michigan and Huron.

Normally it's just 3 percent at this time of year.

The lingering ice, and the colder water temperatures it has created, will cause "cooler weather around the lakes and areas downwind in the Northeast well into spring," AccuWeather said in a news release.

There might be fewer heavy thunderstorms and more fog, though, because "the presence of chilly water could reduce the threat of severe weather by keeping the atmosphere more stable," said senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. "Fog could be more widespread than usual early in the summer as well."

This spring has been colder than normal. March was the fifth-coldest on record in Central New York -- the average temperature was 8.5 degrees below normal. Despite a record cold temperature for the date on Wednesday, April has been about normal.

Lake Ontario reached a peak of 60 percent ice coverage in March. That's more than four times the average. Right now Lake Ontario is just 3 percent covered.

Ontario freezes the least of any of the Great Lakes because it is deeper relative to its surface area, and the flow of Niagara River in the western end keeps ice from forming.

The international shipping season through the lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway started several weeks later than usual. The first oceangoing ships of the season at the Port of Indiana arrived today.

Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 315-470-3251. Follow him on Twitter @glenncoin

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

One of the Olympic gold medals earned after the famed "Miracle on Ice" hockey game in Lake Placid, New York in 1980 will be auctioned beginning next week.

MINNEAPOLIS -- One of the Olympic gold medals earned after the famed "Miracle on Ice" hockey game in Lake Placid, New York in 1980 will be auctioned beginning next week.

The Minnesota collegiate hockey player who helped Team USA beat the Soviets on the way to the gold, Mark Pavelich, is selling his medal through Dallas-based Heritage Auctions. Online and email bidding opens April 25.

Team USA, made up of amateur and collegiate players and led by coach Herb Brooks, defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics. Pavelich, who now lives in Lutsen, was among many Minnesotans on the team and skated for the University of Minnesota Duluth. The team's story was turned into the Hollywood hit "Miracle" in 2004.

Heritage sports director Chris Ivy said Pavelich, 56, is not in any financial distress.

"It's something that he wants to help his kids out with education, the trust and that kind of thing," Ivy said.

Bidding for Pavelich's medal will start at $62,500, Ivy told the Star Tribune, but expects "a lot of spirit bidding." One other gold medal from the team has been auctioned when Mark Wells sold his to a private buyer for $40,000. The buyer auctioned it in 2010 for about $310,000.

Pavelich, originally from Eveleth, skated for the UMD Bulldogs in college. His NHL career included stints with the New York Rangers, the Minnesota North Stars and finally the San Jose Sharks in the 1991-1992 season.

Pavelich earned two assists in the stirring semifinal victory, one on the game-winning goal by fellow forward Mike Eruzione. Pavelich has been the most private of the "Miracle" team members, whereas Eruzione has made a living touring and speaking, and others make appearances from time to time.

Brookfield Central School district has been cited for poor management of its fund balance in a state audit.

A state audit criticizes the Brookfield Central School for depleting its fund balance unnecessarily, pushing it into a deficit situation.

The state comptroller's audit says that the district appropriated more money from its fund balance in the past three years than it had available. In addition, the audit says it was unnecessary for the district to take that much from its fund balance.

The district's actions resulted in a fund balance deficit of $369,247 deficit at the end of fiscal 2012-13, the audit says.

The board is not effectively managing the district's financial condition, and its financial position is declining, the audit says.

Also, the district is not using most of the fund balance it appropriated, the audit says That's because school officials overestimated how much they would have to spend.

If the district were to continue along this path, it would have to raise property taxes or make cuts to balance the budget, as its emergency financial cushion would eventually be gone, according to the document.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office said the district did not have an explanation as to why they took this action.

The board agreed in its response to the audit to take corrective steps.

The district has one school and about 230 students.

The nurses will place the baskets in the children's rooms while they are sleeping Saturday night so they wake to a surprise on Sunday morning.

Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse University football players and women's soccer players helped a Baldwinsville charity deliver 60 Easter baskets Friday afternoon to Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital.

Maureen's Hope Foundation funds the project that gives baskets full of toys, candy and other items to children who are in the hospital during Easter.

The baskets are personalized for the children based on their age and filled with special items. The nurses will place the baskets in the children's rooms while they are sleeping Saturday night so they wake to a surprise on Sunday morning. Some of the children have been in the hospital for several weeks and some may have arrived the day before.

"The kids don't forget that the Easter bunny is suppose to come," said Karen Anthony, a volunteer with Maureen's Hope.

Maureen's Hope Foundation was founded nearly 10 years ago by Susan Bertrand in memory of Bertrand's sister, Maureen Humphrey. Humphrey battled an aggressive and rare form of cervical cancer for 19 months. Humphrey died in January 2003 at age 31.

The foundation, which was started in 2004, financially and emotionally supports community members and their families who are battling cancer. The foundation has grown over the years, but at its core is the gift of hope in the form of a gift basket.

Bertrand wanted to do a special project in the spring to honor Humphrey's birthday, which is in April. Bertrand started the Easter basket project seven years ago with Karen Anthony's help.

"Karen really deserves all the credit," Bertrand said. "She's organized and has the biggest heart."

Anthony said she shops all year to find special items for the baskets. She said the items she picks out are practical, fun and special. The practical items include blankets and pillows. The fun items include games, crayons, puzzles and more. The special items include iTune gift cards, autographed Syracuse University footballs and certificates for ice cream for Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons, which is housed inside the hospital, donates the gift certificates.

Anthony's son, Eric Anthony, is a member of the Syracuse University football team. Eric Anthony has helped his mother over the years with the baskets and suggested that it would be great to have his teammates help deliver the baskets to the hospital.

"Some people think football players have it tough, but our workouts are nothing compared to what theses kids are going through," he said. "They're tough."

Sarah Moses covers the northern suburbs of Onondaga County and Oswego County. Contact Sarah at smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298. Follow @SarahMoses315

Former Syracuse Mayor Tom Young and two former New York State Democratic Party chairmen express their opinion.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner on Thursday resigned as the co-chair of the state's Democratic Party.

Was that a bad move for her political future? Or will her tenure as part of the party leadership -- which included times of public policy disagreements with Gov. Andrew Cuomo -- boost her career?

I asked a few Democrats for their opinions today. Here's what they said:

John Sullivan, former state party co-chair and former mayor of Oswego:
"I think she'll grow stronger as a result," Sullivan said of Miner's two-year stint. "I see the mayor as a potential statewide candidate. Maybe sooner rather than later."

Sullivan said he believes the party co-chairs have become "window dressing" for the party, especially when it comes to Upstate input. He thought it was a good decision - and good timing on the eve of Cuomo's expected re-election campaign - to step down.

"She's supposed to be co-captaining a ship that doesn't seem to be sailing anywhere," Sullivan said.

Jay Jacobs 

Jacobs said he talks with Miner regularly and knew she was thinking about stepping down. He also said he didn't think it hurt her chances in the long run.

"There's no question that she has potential for statewide office," he said. "What that office is, she'll have to determine. She's just a very talented elected official. And that will translate for something."

Tom Young, former mayor of Syracuse
"It bolsters her resume," Young said of Miner's time in the party leadership post. He added he had not spoken with the mayor about her decision. Overall, he thought her two-years as the party's co-head probably didn't impact Syracuse one way or the other.

Tell us what you think.
You can share your thoughts in the comments below about the mayor's time as co-chair of the party, as well as her resignation.

Contact Teri Weaver at tweaver@syracuse.com, 315-470-2274 or on Twitter at @TeriKWeaver.

Rhode Island's Bryant University is asking graduates to resist the urge to take selfies with its president when receiving their diplomas to prevent the already long ceremony from dragging on.

BOSTON -- Rhode Island's Bryant University is asking graduates to resist the urge to take selfies with its president when receiving their diplomas to prevent the already long ceremony from dragging on.

University President Ronald Machtley said students ask him to take selfies on the Smithfield campus all the time. Although Machtley, who is active on social media, loves posing for pictures with the students, he said having 800 students stop to snap photos with him would back up the graduation ceremony, which already is more than 3 hours long.

"If a student asked me for a selfie on stage, I wouldn't say no," he said Friday. "The university is saving me from myself."

If students want to pose with him after the May 17 ceremony, they are more than welcome to, he said.

Selfies of President Barack Obama posing with Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz and of Ellen DeGeneres cozying up with other celebrities at the Oscars have exploded on social media. Bryant students won't be punished if they decide to whip out their cellphones on stage, but Machtley said he's confident they'll respect the university's wishes.

The university's director of conferences and special events, Sheila Guay, said students taking photos of themselves onstage would take away from the ceremony and ruin any photos family members want to capture of them receiving their degrees.

"There is a time and place for them, and here is just not one of them," Guay said.

Students and families will be able to take photos and post comments to a website hosted by the university up until the start of the graduation but not during it.

Although some seniors might be upset by the no selfies rule on stage, senior Ali Luthman, of Worcester, said, "no one is crying about it."

At about 7 p.m. Thursday evening deputies assigned to Operation IMPACT conducted a routine patrol on the West Side of the city of Syracuse.

Deputies from the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office recovered this unloaded Smith and Wesson .22 caliber M&P 15-22 assault rifle in a pile of trash Thursday. Onondaga County Sheriff's Office 

At about 7 p.m. Thursday evening deputies assigned to Operation IMPACT conducted a routine patrol on the West Side of the city of Syracuse. They found a large pile of trash and other debris near the backyard of an abandoned house on Putnam Street, the sheriff's office said.

In the middle of the pile of trash, under some roofing material, the deputies discovered an unloaded Smith and Wesson .22 caliber M&P 15-22 assault rifle.

The sheriff's office said the owner of the rifle still hasn't been found and that there was no one in the immediate area when the rifle was found.

Authorities are testing the rifle for ballistics and latent fingerprints.

Operation IMPACT is an initiative of the state Division of Criminal Justice Services that supports crime reduction initiatives in the 17 counties outside New York City that account for about 80 percent of the crime in upstate New York and Long Island.

The sheriff's office said it is continuing to investigate.

Syracuse police and firefighters responded to the scene near the Pike Block, outside 322-324 S. Salina Street at about 5:47 p.m. Watch video

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Two portable toilets went up in flames Friday evening at a construction site in downtown Syracuse.

Syracuse police and firefighters responded to the scene near the Pike Block, outside 322-324 S. Salina Street at about 5:47 p.m.

Firefighters quickly put the fire out, but the two portable toilets, which were side-by-side, were completely melted, Syracuse Fire Investigator Roseanne Wood-Rautenstrauch said.

No one was injured or inside the portable toilets when the fire occurred.

Syracuse Police Sgt. Gary Bulinski said officers responded to the fire, but were not needed by firefighters.

Wood-Rautenstrauch said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Police and Syracuse firefighters arrived and located the man. He was rushed to Upstate University Hospital.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse police have identified the man who lost control of his motorcycle Thursday night on Interstate 690 and crashed, seriously injuring himself.

Police said Richard Warren, 38, of 1236 Court St., in Syracuse, lost control of his 2001 Suzuki and hit a guide rail before he was ejected. The crash occurred on I-690 west near the Bear Street on-ramp at about 11:55 p.m.

Police and Syracuse firefighters arrived and located Warren. He was rushed to Upstate University Hospital.

Police said Warren's injuries were serious, but later determined to be non-life-threatening.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. No tickets have been issued.

Police said all five cases are being actively investigated and that no more information would be released for the time being.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse police are stepping up efforts to curb the sale and use of illicit drugs after five apparent heroin overdoses occurred in the last 24 hours in the city.

Police said they are investigating five separate heroin overdoses, one of which appears to have resulted in the death of a woman.

In an effort to cut down on the sale and use of the drugs, police are immediately stepping up drug enforcement to reduce the chances of more victims.

New York state accounts for about 20 percent of the heroin seized by the federal government.

Police said all five cases are being actively investigated and that no more information would be released for the time being.

Anyone with information about the sale of heroin or other drugs in the city is asked to contact Syracuse police at 315-442-5222.

Though the shelter is closed, the Red Cross said it will continue to assist volunteers in Northern New York.

CARTHAGE, N.Y. -- The American Red Cross shelter that opened Wednesday night in Jefferson County for people affected by flooding has closed.

The Red Cross opened a shelter at American Legion Post 789 in Carthage for people who had to evacuate their homes because of flooding along the Black River. The Red Cross said three people used the shelter, which closed after the residents were able to find other places to stay or return home.

Though the shelter is closed, the Red Cross said it will continue to assist volunteers in Northern New York.

Volunteers will visit areas that were impacted by flooding to determine the damage done to homes. Volunteers will also distribute clean-up kits that include a broom, mop, bleach, bucket, gloves, trash bags and other cleaning supplies.

The National Weather Service on Friday extended its flood warning for the Black River until Saturday morning, though levels are slowly beginning to fall.

Searchers working to quickly find three more missing guides as weather conditions deteriorate.

KATMANDU, Nepal -- Search teams recovered a 13th body Saturday from the snow and ice covering a dangerous climbing pass on Mount Everest, where an avalanche a day earlier swept over a group of Sherpa guides in the deadliest disaster on the world's highest peak.

Another three guides remained missing, and searchers were working quickly to find them in case weather conditions deteriorated, said Maddhu Sunan Burlakoti, head of the Nepalese government's mountaineering department. But the painstaking effort involved testing the strength of newly fallen snow and using extra ropes, clamps and aluminum ladders to navigate the unstable field.

The avalanche barreled down a narrow climbing pass known as the "popcorn field" for its bulging chunks of ice at about 6:30 a.m. Friday. The group of about 25 Sherpa guides were the first people making their way up this climbing season to dig paths and fix ropes for their foreign clients to use in attempting to reach the summit next month.

One of the survivors told his relatives that the path had been unstable just before the snow slide hit at an elevation near 5,800 meters (19,000 feet). The area is considered particularly dangerous due to its steep slope and deep crevasses that cut through the snow and ice covering the pass year round.

As soon as the avalanche occurred, rescuers, guides and climbers rushed to help, and all other climbing was suspended.

Seven of the 12 bodies pulled out and brought down Friday were handed over to their families in the Everest region, while the other five were taken to Katmandu, Nepal's capital.

Four survivors were conscious and being treated in the intensive care units of several Katmandu hospitals for broken ribs, fractured limbs, punctured lungs and skin abrasions, according to Dr. C.R. Pandey from Grande Hospital. Others were treated for less serious injuries at the Everest base camp.

Hundreds of climbers, guides and support crews had been at Everest's base camp preparing to climb the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak when weather conditions are most favorable next month. As with each year, the Sherpa guides from each of the expedition teams had been working together to prepare the path by carving routes through the ice, fixing ropes on the slopes and setting up camps at higher altitudes.

One of the injured guides, Dawa Tashi, said the Sherpas were delayed on their way up the slope because the path was unsteady. With little warning, a wall of snow crashed down on the group and buried many of them, according to Tashi's sister-in-law, Dawa Yanju. Doctors said Tashi, who was partially buried in the snowfall, suffered several broken ribs.

The Sherpa people are one of the main ethnic groups in Nepal's alpine region, and many make their living as climbing guides on Everest and other Himalayan peaks.

More than 4,000 climbers have reached Everest's summit since 1953, when it was first conquered by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Hundreds have died trying.

The worst recorded disaster on Everest had been a fierce blizzard on May 11, 1996, that caused the deaths of eight climbers, including famed mountaineer Rob Hall, and was later memorialized in a book, "Into Thin Air," by Jon Krakauer. Six Nepalese guides were killed in an avalanche in 1970.

Earlier this year, Nepal announced several steps to better manage the heavy flow of climbers and speed up rescue operations. The steps included the dispatch of officials and security personnel to the base camp at (5,300 meters) 17,380 feet, where they will stay throughout the spring climbing season, which ends in May.

All Massachusetts authorities could say for sure is that they found the lifeless body of a small boy, apparently cast off the side of a highway.

WORCESTER, Mass. -- All Massachusetts authorities could say for sure is that they found the lifeless body of a small boy, apparently cast off the side of a highway.

An autopsy should reveal if the child is Jeremiah Oliver, the Fitchburg 5-year-old missing for months before police learned of his disappearance and began looking for him. Jeremiah's case has led to criminal charges against his mother and her boyfriend and calls for changes within the state's child welfare agency. Three state workers have been fired.

"What we know right now is that a young child has died, and that his body has been disposed of in a heartless way," Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement Friday. "As we await news about the child's identity, as Governor and as a parent, I feel a deep sadness."

The body found off a highway in central Massachusetts matched Jeremiah's height and weight, authorities said. Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said authorities can't make a positive identification until the state medical examiner conducts an autopsy.

"It appears to be a homicide," the prosecutor said at a news conference.

Jeremiah was last seen by relatives in September but wasn't reported missing until December. Authorities have said they feared he was dead.

Early said the body was found at about 9 a.m. Friday by a police search team about 40 feet off Interstate 190 near Sterling, which is about 12 miles from Fitchburg. He said it was wrapped in blanket-like material, and packed in material that resembled a suitcase.

He would not say what led authorities to the location, or how long the body may have been there. He said the site is near an area that is regularly mowed on the side of the highway but would not have been visible to passing cars.

Jeremiah's mother, Elsa Oliver, 28, pleaded not guilty in March to charges including kidnapping, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and reckless endangerment. Her boyfriend, Alberto Sierra, 23, pleaded not guilty to similar charges.

The family was being monitored by state social workers since 2011. And after Jeremiah's disappearance, their case led to intense scrutiny of the state Department of Children and families.

Three employees of the agency -- a social worker, a supervisor and an area manager -- were fired after an internal investigation. Officials said the social worker had not made required monthly visits to the family.

The governor asked the Child Welfare League of America to review DCF but resisted calls from some lawmakers to fire Olga Roche, the agency's commissioner.

In an initial report filed by the league last month, it recommended that Massachusetts take a number of steps to shore up its child welfare system, including boosting staffing levels to reduce social worker caseload.

A separate report from the state's Child Advocate, Gail Garinger, suggested that state social workers missed nearly one in five home visits during a recent 12-month period, though state officials said the figure was likely overstated.

Roche assured state legislators in January that DCF had accounted for the safety of all other young children in its care.

Oliver and Sierra, who were indicted by a Worcester County grand jury, are both being held on bail -- $100,000 for Oliver and $250,000 for Sierra.

Three other people have been charged with interfering with a criminal investigation and misleading police in connection with the case.

Douglas Sutherland is best known for his conversion of vacant factory buildings in Syracuse's Franklin Square into apartments and offices.

Rochester, N.Y. — Douglas Sutherland, known for his conversion of historic Syracuse buildings into apartments and offices, is branching out into the Rochester market.

Sutherland said he plans to begin work in June on a $3.85 million rehabilitation of the historic Bevier Memorial Building at 42 S. Washington St. in downtown Rochester.

View full sizeThe Bevier Memorial Building at 42 S. Washington St. in downtown Rochester, circa 1980. Syracuse developer Douglas Sutherland plans to convert the 104-year-old structure into 15 loft-style apartments and 5,000 square feet of office space. Courtesy of Douglas Sutherland 

Sutherland's Franklin Properties LLC plans to turn the four-story building into 15 loft-style apartments and 5,000 square feet of office space. The apartments will be available for rent in the spring of next year, he said. Syracuse-based King + King Architects is also working on the project.

Designed by Rochester architect Claude Bragdon and completed in 1910, the Bevier Memorial Building was constructed as classrooms, art studios and gallery space for the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute's School of Art and Design. The building sits on the former site of Rochester founder Nathanial Rochester's home.

The institute was renamed Rochester Institute of Technology in 1944. RIT moved to a suburban campus in the late 1960s. The building was later renovated for offices, but it has been vacant for the past 15 years.

View full sizeThe Bevier Memorial Building in downtown Rochester as it appear today. Syracuse developer Douglas Sutherland plans to turn the historic building into 15 loft-style apartments and 5,000 square feet of office space.Courtesy of Douglas Sutherland 

Sutherland said the building is an example of early 20th century arts and crafts-style academic architecture. The building's 13-foot ceilings and oversized windows make it ideal for offices and loft-style apartments, he said.

The Community Preservation Corp. is providing a $2.7 million loan to the project. In addition, the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency has approved property tax discounts and sales and mortgage recording tax exemptions. The project is also receiving state and federal historic preservation tax credits.

Sutherland is best known for redeveloping vacant factory buildings in Syracuse's Franklin Square, including the 92-unit Lofts at Franklin Square apartment building and The Foundry office building. Sutherland also turned the former C.W. Snow Wholesale Drug Co. warehouse at North Clinton and Willow streets in Syracuse into apartments. The state honored that project with an Historic Preservation Award.

Sutherland said the Bevier Building will be his first project in Rochester but likely not his last. He said he is looking at other potential building conversions in the city. Rochester's commercial real estate market, like Syracuse's, is relatively soft right now, so he is focused on converting buildings into housing, he said.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148

Robert Romeo, a former Onondaga County Democratic Committee chairman, criticized Miner for resigning as state party co-chair at the beginning of a heavy political season.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A member of the New York Democratic Party's executive committee said Friday he was disappointed in Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner's time leading the party.

"It's just very, very disappointing," said Robert Romeo, a former chairman of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee and a state executive committee member for a decade. "It just didn't pan out at all."

Romeo said he was surprised to learn Thursday that Miner had resigned from her party post, just two years shy of serving as co-chair and at the beginning of a heavy campaign season. All statewide elected positions are up for election this year. "Isn't this the time you really want to step up and do a good job?" he said.

The state party changed its bylaws two years ago to allow Miner, a sitting mayor, to serve as co-chair, Romeo said. It was a change he had doubts about at the time, and he said those doubts grew during Miner's tenure.

Miner, through a spokesman, pointed today to her comments on Thursday explaining her resignation as party co-chair. She said she resigned to give someone else a chance to lead the party and because she wants to dedicate her efforts on running the city of Syracuse. Miner has said no one asked her to step down.

Romeo said he did not observe Miner taking an active role at statewide meetings or on executive committee conference calls. He also said he knew of no campaign last year where Miner's influence or presence made a difference, though he added he was not privy to all of Miner's involvement with the party around the state.

Irene Stein, who heads the state's Democratic Rural Conference, had a different take on Miner's presence and influence. Stein said she never knew Miner before Gov. Andrew Cuomo nominated her to co-chair the party in May 2012.

"She spoke out for Upstate and I always appreciate that very much," Stein said of Miner.

Romeo disagreed, pointing out that Miner left an event on Monday in Syracuse before Cuomo began a talk about the recently passed state budget.

"She's got her fans, there's no question about it," Romeo said of Miner. "But a lot of people she's created some disagreements with."

Romeo has criticized the mayor's choices before. He said it was a bad decision for Miner, in February of 2013, to write an op-ed in The New York Times criticizing Cuomo's efforts to help struggling cities.

On Friday, Romeo said it was too soon to say what the party would do next. For now, Assemblyman Keith Wright, D-Harlem, remains the sole chair. The party has its statewide convention next month.

Contact Teri Weaver at tweaver@syracuse.com, 315-470-2274 or on Twitter at @TeriKWeaver.

The 'thrill' of having the first lady as speaker at a combined commencement gives way to disappointment over learning that tickets will be limited and graduation traditions ditched.

The honor of having first lady Michelle Obama speak at high school commencement has turned to dismay over potential disruptions in Topeka, Kan., and some parents and students are asking officials to rethink the plan or call off her appearance.

The White House announced Wednesday that Obama would address the graduates of five Topeka high schools at a combined commencement on May 17.

The date of the ceremony is the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the landmark Brown v. Topeka Board of Education case that declared school segregation unconstitutional, the White House noted in its announcement.

An estimated 800 seniors are expected to cross the stage to receive their diplomas. Ordinarily, the high schools would hold their own ceremonies, but this year's event is being combined at the Kansas Expocentre because Obama is speaking, The Associated Press reported.

The Expocentre's Landon Arena can seat 10.000 people, but questions soon arose about how many seats would be swallowed by security needs and other concerns. Officials at Topeka Unified School District 501 began alerting patrons that commencement tickets might be limited, possibly to four per family, according to cjonline.com.

By Thursday afternoon, student Taylor Gifford had launched a petition on change.org urging the district to reconsider the commencement plans. The petition, which had 1,550 supporters shortly after 10:30 a.m. Saturday, called for the school board to stick with "normal" graduation ceremonies and times and find a way to record Obama's speech for replay at all of them.

While the Topeka High School senior was thrilled when she learned that Obama would speak at commencement, Gifford said she grew disappointed when she found out that tickets might be limited and she would have to choose which relatives could watch her graduate.

"I'm the oldest of eight," she said. There were her parents to think about, too, as well as family friends who had planned to drive in from outside Kansas for commencement. "These are people that have watched me grow up and become the person I am."

Parents and students brought similar messages to a packed school board meeting Thursday.

Students confronting a district administrator outside the board room said they had been looking forward to their own school's unique graduation traditions, WIBW.comreported. One said she was honored that Obama picked Topeka schools, but added that if the first lady's presence was taking something away from the graduates, it wasn't the right thing to do.

"We'd like our graduation back," another student said.

Although she described herself as a "lifelong Democrat," Topeka High senior Abbey Rubottom, 18, said she didn't think Obama belonged at graduation, The Associated Press said. Like Gifford, she suggested holding separate ceremonies with Obama speaking at one and her speech being replayed at the other.

Do you think the Topeka school board should rethink plans to have Michelle Obama speak at a combined commencement? Please leave a comment below.

Conservatives Claudia Tenney and Michael Kicinski force Republican primary.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Democrats have decided not to challenge U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna in this year's 22nd Congressional District election, conceding the seat to Republicans.

But Hanna, R-Barneveld, will have to battle two challengers from within the GOP in order to secure his third term in Congress.

State Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, and Tea Party activist Michael Kicinski, of Earlville, filed petitions with the state Board of Elections last week before a deadline for federal primary candidates.

If their petitions are found valid, a three-way Republican primary would be held June 24 in the 22nd Congressional District.

None of the candidates filed petitions to run on the Conservative Party line. Hanna received an endorsement from the Independence Party, and will appear on the ballot line unless his petitions are rejected.

View full sizeState Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney 

Tenney, one of the most conservative members of the state Assembly, passed up a chance to appear on the Conservative Party line in the November congressional election.

By doing so, Tenney left herself a backup option if she loses the Republican primary. Tenney would still be able to run for re-election to her Assembly seat because she would not appear on a federal election ballot.

In an interview with syracuse.com, Tenney said she did not submit petitions for the Conservative Party ballot because she was not certain that her campaign had obtained enough valid signatures.

Michael Kicinski 

National Republican officials, who usually remain neutral in GOP primaries, took the unusual step Friday of supporting Hanna in the 22nd District race.

"Rep. Hanna is a valuable and respected member of the Republican majority in the House and we support him," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ian Prior said in an email.

The 22nd Congressional District includes all of Oneida, Madison, Cortland and Chenango counties, and part of Oswego, Herkimer, Broome and Tioga counties.

Contact Mark Weiner at mweiner@syracuse.com or 571-970-3751. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWeinerDC

Hundreds of homes in eastern Indiana lost power in the middle of the night after officials say two raccoons slipped into a power substation and short-circuited electrical breakers.

RICHMOND, Ind. -- Hundreds of homes in eastern Indiana lost power in the middle of the night after officials say two raccoons slipped into a power substation and short-circuited electrical breakers.

The two raccoons met their end about 3 a.m. Friday when the wandered into a Richmond Power & Light substation and made contact with its busswork, the area where a transformer feeds electricity into the individual breakers.

Utility employee Mike Elstro tells the Palladium-Item the raccoons were "smart little creatures" that somehow made it past inflatable devices used to keep animals out of the transformers.

Friday's raccoon intrusion shut down five circuit breakers, cutting power to hundreds of homes in Richmond about 60 miles east of Indianapolis. Power was restored about 40 minutes later.

Shannon Morgan's suit claims the state Motor Vehicle Commission violated her First Amendment rights when it ruled her requested plate's message was offensive.

A New Jersey woman is suing the state's Motor Vehicle Commission for not letting her have 8THEIST as her vanity license plate, saying the ruling violates her First Amendment rights.

Shannon Morgan, a Maurice River Township resident and self-identified atheist, is asking a federal court to be allowed the 8THEIST plate and to have the commission adopt criteria that are specific, objective and neutral for denying plates, NJ.com reports.

She also wants reimbursement for her attorney fees.

In legal papers filed Thursday, Morgan said that "8THEIST" was rejected as a plate choice when she tried to enter it on the commission's website last November, NJ.com said

The suit says the state kicked back the plate on the the grounds "that the message 'may carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency,' " according to The New York Daily News.

When Morgan entered "BAPTIST" as a potential plate to test the online site, that plate was accepted, the lawsuit claims.

In her court papers, Morgan said that before filing suit, she tried to complain to the agency through several phone calls and by registered mail, but did not receive a response, The Associated Press said.

"There is nothing offensive about being atheist," Morgan told NJ.com. "I should be able to express my sincerely held beliefs with a license plate just like everyone else."

Morgan has the backing of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington, D.C.-based religious liberty group that is representing her in the lawsuit.

"The state of New Jersey is favoring religion while disparaging non-belief," Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of the group, told NJ.com. "This license plate issue may seem like a small matter but it is indicative of a much larger problem -- atheists are often treated by the government as second-class citizens."

Sandy Grossman, speaking for the Motor Vehicle Commission, would not comment on Morgan's request because it is a legal matter, but told NJ.com that commission officials research each plate to judge whether it's offensive. If they're not sure about the meaning of a potential plate they will write to the person who requested it, she said.

Atheist-themed plates have been approved before, Grossman said.

One instance came last August, when David Silverman, president of American Atheists,, sought a plate saying "ATHE1ST." The commission initially turned him down, then reversed its decision later that month, NJ.com said.

Here's WPIX's video report on the suit: