Tenney accepts debate invitations from Time Warner Cable and WNBF-AM.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- State Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney today challenged U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna to a series of debates in their Republican primary battle for the 22nd Congressional District seat.

Tenney, R-New Hartford, said she accepted debate invitations from Time Warner Cable and WNBF-AM in Binghamton, but Hanna, R-Barneveld, has not responded.

"I look forward to the opportunity to debate my opponent and to give the voters of the 22nd District a chance to learn about the issues affecting all of us," Tenney said in a prepared statement. Hanna had no immediate response.

Tenney, one of the most conservative members of the state Assembly, has accused Hanna of abandoning conservative principles during his two terms in Congress.

Tenney said she would like to hold debates across the eight-county 22nd District. The district covers all of Oneida, Madison, Cortland and Chenango counties, and part of Oswego, Herkimer, Broome and Tioga counties.

"With a district as large and diverse as the 22nd District, and no Democratic candidate on the November ballot, we should be clearing our schedules to ensure that the voters have an opportunity to assess the views of both candidates in their own words and not couched in political speak through surrogates," Tenney said.

A March poll conducted for the Hanna campaign showed the congressman favored in a direct matchup with Tenney, 73 percent to 17 percent, with 9 percent undecided.

The poll found Tenney had low name recognition in the district, with 45 percent of respondents saying they never heard of Tenney or had no opinion. Debates would help raise Tenney's public profile ahead of the June 24 primary.

Tea Party activist Michael Kicinski, of Earlville, has also filed petitions to appear on the GOP ballot. He lost to Hanna in a primary in 2012.

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

The area's chief judge finds that the area's judges' close relationship with probation officers requires an outside judge.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - All federal judges in the district that includes Syracuse have been recused from a lawsuit against the federal probation office over David Renz's murder and rape last year.

No judge in the Northern District of New York can handle the lawsuit filed by Renz's victim because of the court's close ties to the probation office, according to a ruling from U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe, the district's chief judge.

Sharpe asked the chief judge of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Robert Katzman, to appoint a federal judge from the Western District of New York to handle the $110 million lawsuit filed three weeks ago by Sheila Ben, a lawyer for the property of Renz's 11-year-old victim.

Sharpe cited the fact that the probation office is an arm of the court, and "the close relationship between the judges of the Northern District of New York and the Northern District of New York Probation Office."

Last week, Katzman assigned the case to U.S. District Judge Charles Siragusa of Rochester. Siragusa has been a federal judge since 1997. He's a former state Supreme Court justice and assistant Monroe County district attorney.

The Renz case appeared to have an impact on the way federal judges in Syracuse decide whether to release a child pornography defendant before trial on an ankle bracelet.

Ben sued the probation office, Renz's probation officer and two of his supervisors, claiming their failure to keep track of Renz on an electronic ankle bracelet allowed him to murder school librarian Lori Bresnahan and rape the girl after abducting them in the parking lot of Great Northern Mall in Clay.

Renz had been charged with child pornography in January 2103 when a federal magistrate released him on one of the ankle bracelets. Nine weeks later, Renz disassembled the device, put it back together, and went to the mall to commit the murder and rape.

Contact John O'Brien at jobrien@syracuse.com or 315-470-2187.

St. Joseph's Hospital College of Nursing recently had 100 percent of its December graduates pass the national nursing exam.

St. Joseph's Hospital College of Nursing recently had 100 percent of its December graduates pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses on their first attempt.

The state pass rate is 78 percent; national is 83 percent.

Here are the students:

Foam dart toy has higher than legal levels of a toxic chemical, Cuomo's office says.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A popular toy dart set sold by Dollar Tree stores should be recalled, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today.

Cuomo is urging the federal government to recall "Clingy Darts" because they contain dangerously high levels of a phthalate known as DEHP. Phthalates are chemicals that are often used to make plastics softer.

The toy has six times the allowable level of the chemical, Cuomo's office said in a press release. The state Division of Consumer Protection has asked the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall the toy. And it has asked Dollar Tree stores to pull the toy from its shelves, according to Cuomo's office.

In the U.S., phthalates are banned in children's toys in concentrations greater than .10 percent. The chemicals mimic reproductive hormones and are thought to play a role in the earlier onset of puberty in girls.

The National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, determined that DEHP is a reproductive and developmental toxin in animals. The health research organization has concerns about what happens when people are exposed to DEHP -- especially infants and toddlers.

Cuomo's office recommended that anyone who has Clingy Darts should throw them away, or set them aside and wait for recall instructions.

Contact Marnie Eisenstadt at meisenstadt@syracuse.com or 315-470-2246.

Kelly Moran will raise awareness and donations for multiple sclerosis next month in honor of her sister Cathy Hanover.

Betty Ann Colby (left) smiles for a photo with her daughters Cathy Hanover (center) and Kelly Moran. Moran is taking part in the MS Walk next month in honor of Hanover, who is battling the disease.Provided photo 

Liverpool, NY -- Kelly Moran, of Syracuse, will raise awareness and donations for multiple sclerosis next month in honor of her sister Cathy Hanover.

When Moran found out that Hanover had MS, she wanted to help raise funds for a cure and to learn more about the debilitating disease.

Moran will participate in the Walk MS: Syracuse May 4 at Long Branch Park in Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool. Participants can walk 1, 3 or 5 miles.

"My team name is Hanover's Hero's, for my sister," said Moran of her 25 member team. "I am hoping to make this an annual event with my family and friends. My sister does have a way of keeping the family together."

Multiple sclerosis is an often disabling disease of the central nervous system. MS interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, according to the National MS Society Upstate New York Chapter. In Hanover's case, it has affected her optic nerve.

"She has tried every medicine and nothing works," Moran said. "I hope one day there's a cure, so people don't have to live with this disease."

By participating in Walk MS, Moran hopes to raise awareness about the disease and ultimately find a cure. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has raised more than $820 million in research funding. One of the primary ways these funds are raised is through Walk MS.

MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide and more than 12,800 people in the 50-county region served by the Upstate New York Chapter. For more information, visit the chapter's website.

To participate in Walk MS or to make a donation, visit the Walk MS Syracuse website.

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

E-911 received reports that a large truck and a car crashed.

Update: State police say two people were taken to a Syracuse hospital after a tractor-trailer and car crashed in Parish.

Parish, NY -- Two vehicles crashed Monday afternoon at state Route 69 and Chapman Road in Parish, Oswego County 911 officials said.

E-911 received reports at 2:18 p.m. that a large truck and a car collided.

McFee Ambulance has transported someone to a hospital, 911 officials said.

State police and Parish volunteer firefighters remain at the scene.

Check back later for updates.

Readers react to reports of brand names like Nike and iPod appearing in the New York State Common Core English tests.

Some New York parents are concerned over reports that the state Common Core standardized English tests contain brand names like Barbie and Mug Root Beer, and slogans like Nike's "Just Do It."

Brand names appeared in the test questions for 3rd to 8th grade students, leading to speculation that it was a form of product placement.

The questions are not public, and teachers and principals are barred from discussing them. But teachers posting anonymously on education blogs said some students were confused by the brand names and accompanying trademark symbols.

The New York State Education Department has denied any deal to include product names in the tests between the state, the companies in question or Pearson, the publisher of the Common Core tests.

Readers took to the comments to share their thoughts on the matter. Here's a sample of what they had to say:

From sunflower: Pending further elucidation, I would say this is totally unacceptable....and call me cynical about any of Pearson's motives that aren't based on profit for them.

From He Hate Me: This is what's called mind control and indoctrination being done by the government-backed corporatist society we live in today. The government along with large multinational corporations are openly subverting the youth of America step by step.

From propere14: It all makes sense now as too why they are pushing these tests so much. When I took state test which was only about 10 years ago, you never saw brands in the test, we had the good old fashioned widgets. Scrap this test and all state testing, let the teachers teach without having to teach to a test, memorizing test questions isn't teaching and won't help our children learn.

From James Bond: BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA this is a riot!

No no no people these tests were designed by EDUCATIONAL SPECIALISTS! They know what they are doing! Do not question them! Every single child should know these products and what they are or they will miss that question!

lol such a joke. Common Core is a joke, our elected leaders are a joke, the education czar is a joke.

From K2: I say let the companies pay for the advertisements. We could certainly use the extra cash in the education system and I could definitely use some lower taxes because of it.

...obviously this would only work if the testing companies were public entities, not the private companies that are currently doing it. I think it's high time we took a new approach to some of this stuff. Obviously Common Core stinks, but our city, county, state and national budget situation is just as awful. Its time to get some new ideas introduced to help manage the HUGE budget shortfalls.

From JellyRajah: Common Core testing is similar to a roofing contractor pulling up to your home and telling you that you must replace the roof. But, you are not allowed to go up and look at the roof, check on the contractor or confirm the decision with anyone else.

Just trust that's all you get is trust.

From farkeled: The product references are bad enough but I am really troubled by the matter of teachers and principals being "barred" from discussing the questions. Any time you see something like that you should be concerned, and angry.

Do you think it's a problem for the Common Core tests to contain brand names and slogans? Leave a comment below.

A spat about infidelity escalates when Aaron Goempel hits his girlfriend with a hard-boiled egg, then reaches for a sword after officers arrive. police say.

A Pittsburgh man was jailed early Easter morning after an egg-dyeing session with his girlriend went awry and he reached for some cutlery to hold of responding police.

Easter eggs became ammo Saturday night at a home in Pittsburgh's Brookline section, landing a man in jail, police said. Getty Images | iStockphoto 

Aaron Goempel, 27, of Pittsburgh's Brookline neighborhood, was decorating Easter eggs with his girlfriend at a home on Wareman Avenue when he began pelting her with hard-boiled eggs, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said.

Accounts differ as to what touched off the barrage. The Post-Gazette, citing police, said the couple began arguing about Goempel's infidelities. CBS Pittsburgh reported that the argument began when Goempel accused his girlfriend of being unfaithful.

In any event, one of the eggs hit Goempel's girlfriend in the eye, raising a bump and prompting her to call police.

Authorities already were familiar with Goempel due to past arrests for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, the Post-Gazette said.

When officers arrived, Goempel had barricaded himself in his bedroom, propping an exercise machine against the door to block them out, Triblive reported. When forced their way inside, Goempel reached for a line of knives and swords on his dresser, police said.

The three officers brought Goempel under control, but when they took him to their police car Goempel started yelling racial obscenities at one officer and kicked another in the groin.

Goempel was charged with simple and aggravated assault, the Post-Gazette said.

Glenn R. Unger sought $36 million in tax refunds in bogus filings.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A former Ogdensburg orthodontist was sentenced to more than 8 years in prison today for filing phony tax returns seeking a total of $36 million in refunds over five years.

U.S. District Judge Thomas McAvoy sentenced Glenn R. Unger, 62, to 97 months in federal prison for convictions of filing false refund claims with the Internal Revenue Service from 2007 through 2011. He filed one claim in March 2008 for a $35 million refund, according to a federal indictment.

A federal court jury convicted Unger of the charges in October.
None of Unger's 14 IRS refund claims was granted, federal prosecutors said.

The jury found Unger guilty of obstructing and impeding the IRS, filing false claims against the United States, tax evasion and passing fictitious obligations.

A federal investigation began in April 2010, when FBI agents traced threatening letters sent to governors by Unger, who told them he was affiliated with the Sovereign Citizen movement, according to a transcript of a court hearing in January 2013.

The Sovereign Citizen movement is a loosely knit group of people who think U.S. laws don't apply to them.

Unger told the agents he went by the alias Dr. Sam Kennedy, and that he taught seminars and gave internet radio talks on how to avoid paying taxes, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ransom Reynolds said at the hearing.

The FBI and IRS investigated Unger and found that, starting in 2007, he was teaching people how to file false income tax returns to get tax refunds, the transcript said.

Unger owned and operated Columbia County Orthodontistics in Chatham, N.Y., from 1999 to 2006, Reynolds said.

In December 2012, FBI and IRS agents executed a search warrant at a storage facility that Unger was renting in Chatham, where they found books that included "The DEA Stash and Hideout Handbook," the transcript said.

"This lengthy prison sentence shows that tax defiers like Unger who use bogus tax schemes and pay debts with fictitious documents will be punished for their crimes," U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian said in a news release. "No one can set himself above the law for personal financial gain."

Contact John O'Brien at jobrien@syracuse.com or 315-470-2187.

The Public Service Commission has yet to rule on the proposal.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - National Grid is seeking regulatory approval to provide $4.2 million in emergency bill credits to low-income Upstate customers hammered by high winter electric bills this year.

If the Public Service Commission approves the plan, some low-income customers could qualify for up to $370 each to help offset electric bills that have soared to extraordinary heights this winter.

Roughly 110,000 customers would qualify for $20 bill credits. A much smaller number, roughly 6,000, would qualify for bill credits of up to $250. And about 4,000 customers would qualify for forgiveness of $250 in overdue amounts.

National Grid has asked the PSC to bypass its normal procedures and approve the plan on an emergency basis so that the bill credits can be made on May's bills. Utility officials said they did not know how soon the PSC would rule.

Customers are still reeling from their bills in January, February and March, when wholesale electric prices averaged 122 percent higher than the year before, according to National Grid. Total bills, including utility delivery charges, have jumped 60 percent or more for some customers.

"Many customers within the company's service territory are still struggling to recover,'' the company wrote in its petition to the PSC.

National Grid shareholders would pay $1 million of the cost for the new assistance. The rest of the money has already been collected from ratepayers to pay for assistance to low-income customers.

Under the utility proposal, extra aid would be distributed to participants in three existing programs for low-income customers. Here's a breakdown:

Low Income Discount Program: About 110,000 eligible customers who were enrolled in this program as of March 2014 would receive a $20 credit on their May electric bills. Cost: $2.2 million.

Affordability Program: The roughly 4,000 customers who were enrolled in this program as of April 4 would receive arrears forgiveness of $250 in May. Cost: $1 million.

Care and Share Program: Approximately 6,000 eligible customers would receive credits on their bills. The credit would be up to $250 for customers who do not also receive arrears forgiveness, or up to $100 for those who do. The benefits would be available on a first come, first served basis. Cost: $1 million, to be borne by utility shareholders.

Eligibility for each program varies.

National Grid notes in its petition that the utility neither controls nor profits from
wholesale electric prices, which are set in a competitive market and passed through to customers without markup.

The spike in winter electric prices has prompted the PSC, along with the nonprofit New York Independent System Operator, to request a federal investigation into natural gas trading activity to make sure that markets were not manipulated, which could affect electric prices.

In a letter requesting an investigation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, PSC Chair Audrey Zibelman said officials want to "ensure the wholesale gas markets are operating in a competitive manner."

Separately, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether market manipulation or price gouging took place this winter in New York's energy market.

Contact Tim Knauss at tknauss@syracuse.com or 315-470-3023 or follow on Twitter @TimKnauss.

National Grid Petition

Onondaga County won't release its annual report on the lake cleanup.

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Honeywell says its $450 million cleanup of Onondaga Lake is ahead of schedule and "making terrific progress."

"Visible progress continues throughout the Onondaga Lake watershed," wrote John McAuliffe, program director of the cleanup, in the company's full-color, eight-page update. "Many in the Central New York community are passionate about the cleanup and there is truly a sense of pride in the progress to date."

(See full report below.)

The lawyer for the Onondaga Nation, Joe Heath, said even a successful cleanup will leave the lake and shore badly polluted.

"The state said it would take $2.3 billion, and (Honeywell) is spending $450 million?" Heath asked. "They're crowing about an achievement that's less than 20 percent of what should be done."

While Honeywell has made public its update, however, Onondaga County has declined to release its annual report on the cleanup submitted to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Honeywell says dredging will be finished this year and the entire cleanup project will be done in 2016.

View full sizeHoneywell said dredging of Onondaga Lake has gone so well the job will be done in 2014 -- a year ahead of schedule.David Lassman | dlassman@syracuse.com 

Honeywell said earlier this year that the Onondaga Lake dredging had gone so well it plans to finish this year instead of 2015 as originally scheduled.

The report also says mercury levels in the lake have fallen by 95 percent.

Onondaga County officials told county legislators April 10 that the lake is so low in phosphorous that it is cleaner than some Finger Lakes.

Onondaga County's commissioner of environmental water protection, Tom Rhoads, told legislators that the county had submitted its annual report on the lake cleanup to the state Department of Environmental Conservation on April 1. County officials would not provide syracuse.com with a copy of that report. Even the chairman of the legislative Environmental Protection Committee didn't get a copy.

On April 16, syracuse.com filed a Freedom of Information Law request with the county. The county said it will respond to the request within "20 business days, in accordance with standard county practice."

Here's the Honeywell report, "Partners in progress: A story of growth and renewal."

Honeywell 2014 Annual Report

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

Tully districts resident will vote on a proposed 4.98 percent tax levy increase in their 2014-15 school district budget.

Tully's proposed 2014-15 school budget carries a 4.98 percent tax levy increase, but restores two athletic programs, and a full-time vocal music teacher, district officials said.

The $19,157,347 budget is up about 6 percent from this year's budget of $18,058, 021. The district's allowable tax levy is 5.75 percent, so this is under that, said Superintendent Kraig Pritts.

The district will use about $500,000 in reserves. The budget calls for a half-time high school vocal music teacher to be restored to full time. Also, girls and boys' junior high basketball and volleyball, which were combined two years ago due to budget cuts, will be separate teams once again, Pritts said.

The current tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value is estimated to go up 83 cents per $1,000 if the budget is approved, from $20.22 per $1,000 to $21.05 per $1,000. That's an $83 increase per $100,000 house.

"With this budget, we are able to restore some programs and provide more support for kids,'' Pritts said.

There will be a public hearing at 6 p.m. May 8 and voting is May 20.

Pritts is retiring soon, and the board is interviewing finalists for the position.

Siale Angilau rushed the witness stand where Vaiola Mataele Tenifa was testifying and was shot by a U.S. marshal.

A defendant in a gang trial was shot and killed Monday at Salt Lake City's federal courthouse after he rushed the witness stand.

Siale AngilauThe Associated Press 

Siale Angilau, 25, an alleged member of the Tongan Crip gang, was charging the witness stand with a pen or pencil when a U.S. marshal shot him several times in the chest, authorities told The Salt Lake Tribune. He died later at a hospital.

No one else was hurt during the incident, which took place an hour into the second day of Angilau's trial on his alleged gang activities, including involvement in the 2007 shooting of two deputy U.S. marshals.

The shooting took place in front of the jury, which had been selected Friday. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell, the presiding judge, immediately declared a mistrial, noting that the jurors were "visibly shaken and upset," CNN said.

The Tribune identified the witness as 31-year-old Vaiola Mataele Tenifa, who now is serving up to 30 years at the Utah State Prison on 2001 convictions for robbery and aggravated assault. A specator, Perry Cardwell, told the Tribune that it looked like Angilau was trying to punch Tenifa when the marshal opened fire. He said he counted eight shots.

The FBI said Angilau had not been in restraints while in the courtroom. The agency said that was standard prodecure, Fox News reported.

Angilau's trial was the first to be held at the newly opened federal courthouse. It also was the last in a series of cases presented by federal prosecutors against members of the Tongan Crips, the Tribune said. Angilau already was serving a state prison sentence from 2008 convictions for obstructing justice and failure to stop at the command of an officer.

Trooper Todd Madley was taken to North Medical Center Urgent Care.

DeWitt, NY -- A state trooper had just pulled over a speeding motorist on Interstate 690 when another driver drifted onto the shoulder of the highway and struck the trooper's patrol car Monday morning, state police said.

Trooper Todd Madley was working a traffic safety detail to crack down on speeding and to enforce the Move Over Law when the accident happened on I-690 at the I-481 southbound on-ramp in DeWitt, troopers said in a news release.

Madley was sitting in a marked 2010 Ford Crown Victoria patrol car, writing a traffic ticket when his patrol car was side-swiped, state police said. Both Madley's patrol car and the vehicle he had stopped were on the shoulder, "well to the right of the fog line," the release said. The trooper's car also had its emergency lights activated.

Jeremiah T. Roebig, 34, of East Syracuse, told state police he was "looking to move to the passing lane when he drifted to the right" and his 2004 Toyota Corolla struck the side of the trooper's patrol car, the news release said.

Trooper Madley was transported to North Medical Center Urgent Care, where he was treated and released.

Roebig was issued tickets charging him with failure to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle and driving on the shoulder of a controlled-access highway, both violations.

State police reminded drivers to pay attention to all emergency vehicles and tow trucks with its lights flashing on the side of the road.

"Under these circumstances, motorists are required to move from the lane closest to the emergency vehicle to the next lane over -- if it can safely be done given the flow of traffic," the state police news release said. "If drivers are unable to move over, they must slow their cars to a responsible speed and exercise considerable caution to make sure that emergency responders are as safe as possible."

Chafee became a Democrat in 2013 after seven years as a Republican U.S. senator.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee will speak at Syracuse University at 6 p.m. Thursday in a free lecture open to the public.

Chafee, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1999 through 2006, left the Republican Party in 2007. He will speak about "Civility and Citizenship: Reinventing the Great Society" in Maxwell Auditorium at SU's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Chafee is from a family of prominent Republicans who have served in public office in New England. He became a Democrat in 2013.

Thursday's event is part of SU's Tanner Lecture Series on ethics, citizenship and public responsibility. Chafee will take questions from the audience following his talk.

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

Russia has "days, not weeks" to abide by an international accord aimed at stemming the crisis in Ukraine, the top U.S. diplomat in Kiev warned Monday as Vice President Joe Biden launched a high-profile show of support for the pro-Western Ukrainian government. Russia in turn accused authorities in Kiev of flagrantly violating the pact and declared their actions would not stand.

KIEV, Ukraine -- Russia has "days, not weeks" to abide by an international accord aimed at stemming the crisis in Ukraine, the top U.S. diplomat in Kiev warned Monday as Vice President Joe Biden launched a high-profile show of support for the pro-Western Ukrainian government. Russia in turn accused authorities in Kiev of flagrantly violating the pact and declared their actions would not stand.

Biden, the highest-ranking American official to visit Ukraine during its conflict with Russia, planned to meet with government officials in the capital of Kiev on Tuesday. The vice president also planned to announce new technical support to help the fledgling government with energy and economic reforms.

Biden's trip comes days after the U.S., Russia, Ukraine and Europe signed an agreement in Geneva calling for Moscow to use its influence to get pro-Russian forces to leave the numerous government buildings they now occupy in cites throughout eastern Ukraine. The U.S. asserted on Monday that publicly available photographs from Twitter and other media show that some of the troops in eastern Ukraine are Russian special forces, and the U.S. said the photos support its case that Moscow is using its military to stir unrest in Ukraine.

There was no way to immediately verify the photographs, which were either taken from the Internet or given to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe last week by Ukraine diplomats.

In Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected charges that Moscow was behind the troubles in eastern Ukraine and failing to live up to the Geneva agreement.

"Before putting forth ultimatums to us, demanding fulfillment of something within two-three days or otherwise be threatened with sanctions, we would urgently call on our American partners to fully recognize responsibility for those whom they brought to power and whom they are trying to shield, closing their eyes to the outrages created by this regime and by the fighters on whom this regime leans," Lavrov told a news conference.

Words and actions by Ukrainian leaders are "absolutely unacceptable," he declared.

The U.S. has warned that it will quickly order new economic sanctions on Russian officials and entities if Moscow doesn't follow through on the provisions in last week's accord. Gregory Pyatt, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said it was still too early to tell whether the deal would succeed, but he added, "The ball is really in Moscow's court in terms of whether they're going to take this diplomatic off-ramp."

"There needs to be concrete results," Pyatt told reporters in Kiev. He said the U.S. would make a decision on whether the agreement is working in "days, not weeks."

While last week's agreement offered a glimmer of hope that the crisis in Ukraine could be resolved peacefully, the accord appears to be fragile at best. The armed pro-Russia groups have refused to leave their occupying positions in eastern Ukraine until the country's acting government resigns. And there was a burst of violence Sunday, with three people killed during a shootout at a checkpoint that was manned by pro-Russian troops.

Ukrainian and Russian officials each blamed the other for instigating the attack. The White House said it was still trying to determine who was responsible and had no independent verification of what transpired.

"Overall, we are concerned about the situation there, and we urge paramilitary groups throughout the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine to lay down their weapons and depart the buildings that they have occupied, as was called for in the accord signed in Geneva last week," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Even as officials sorted through this latest disturbance, the State Department sought to build a public case against Russia for the wider unrest. The photo images released Monday show militants brandishing Russian weapons and wearing uniforms similar to those worn by Russian forces. The militants look similar to the forces that moved into Crimea in March, ahead of a referendum there that resulted in the peninsula being annexed by Russia.

Secretary of State John Kerry and Lavrov spoke by telephone Monday but appeared to break little new ground. Russia's foreign ministry said Lavrov told Kerry that the Ukrainian government was unable and unwilling to stop what the Russians call extremists in eastern Ukraine.

Biden planned to meet Tuesday with government leaders who took over after pro-Russia Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February following months of protests. He will speak with Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Oleksandr Turchynov, the acting Ukrainian prime minister and president. The vice president is also scheduled to meet with legislators from across the country and democracy activists before returning to Washington Tuesday night.

He held a series of meetings Monday with U.S. Embassy officials, members of Congress also in Kiev for an update on the crisis and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's chief monitor in Ukraine.

A senior administration official told reporters onboard Air Force Two en route to Kiev that Biden planned to announce new technical support to the Ukrainian government to implement energy and economic reforms. The official, speaking on a condition of anonymity to allow Biden to publicly announce any agreements, said the vice president also will follow up on recent U.S. commitments of non-lethal security assistance and discuss what more Washington can offer to help.

Biden also planned to discuss preparations for next month's Ukrainian presidential election and the latest developments in eastern Ukraine, where insurgents are accusing leaders in Kiev of aiming to suppress the country's Russian speakers in the region.

The Obama administration official told reporters that the assistance Biden will announce includes technical expertise to increase production and boost energy efficiency to reduce reliance on oil imports from Russia. The economic help includes advice to make sure international funding is allocated effectively and that all parts of the country are benefiting.

New state plan will send rebates to property owners if districts keep tax increases below caps; 94 percent expect to do that. Watch video

Syracuse, NY - Next month, school districts across the state will ask voters to approve budgets that call for tax hikes.

For the first time, however, nearly all property owners won't have to worry much about their rising tax bill. The state will send rebate checks to property owners in most districts to cover the entire increase in school taxes.

The rebates will be paid only in districts that keep tax increases below a state-set tax cap, which hovers around 2 percent. But 94 percent of the districts will stay under the cap, according to a survey conducted by the New York State Association of School Business Officials in March.

Typically, school rebate checks look like they will be under $40 for a $100,000 home, based on a spot survey of local school districts and other experts; state officials could not provide an estimate.

In Central New York, school officials gave these estimates as examples: about $34 for the owner of a $100,000 home in Onondaga Central, $58 for the owner of a $100,000 home in West Genesee and $24 for the owner of a $100,000 home in Skaneateles.

Based on the average tax rate for the state, an estimate of the average rebate check statewide would work out to about $34.

The checks, however, will vary greatly depending on the value of the home and the tax increase imposed by the district. The owner of a very expensive house or one in a high tax area, say Long Island, will get a bigger rebate check.

School taxes are the first to be impacted by a new state plan to encourage school districts, cities, towns and villages to keep tax increases below the state-set tax cap. The plan will also encourage governments to share services and become more efficient, said Morris Peters, speaking for the state Division of Budget.

The state plans to spend $1.5 billion over the next three years on the rebates. The state estimates it will pay property owners statewide $656 each in rebates on school and municipal taxes.

Here's how it works. Property owners pay their school tax bills after the tax rates are officially enacted in August. In districts that stayed below their tax caps, any increase from the previous year will be reimbursed by the state.

The first state checks reimbursing school property tax increases will arrive right around the fall election season.

The program will also be applied to other local governments such as villages, cities, towns and counties.

Officials in some Central New school districts that initially planned to override their tax caps to fund their budgets, such as Lyncourt and Cato-Meridian, have changed their minds.

Lyncourt Superintendent James Austin said the prospect of being one of the very few districts to go over the tax cap and not qualify for rebates had huge public relations implications for future budgets.

 

"I don't want to be the only district where nobody gets a rebate come fall," he said.
Lyncourt's situation was made harder because its cap was low, allowing only a 0.43 percent increase, but still the district didn't want to go over the cap. Instead, the district will dip into its reserves to fill the gap in funding its $9.6 million budget, he said.

The state's check to Lyncourt's taxpayers are likely about $6 each, Austin said.

There's still some confusion over the maximum the state will pay. The state plans to hold a webinar next week to explain its calculations and district officials will learn then if the state will reimburse its taxpayers up to 2 percent, or whether it will be the average tax hike multiplied by the CPI of 1.46 percent.

"It's convoluted in a lot of different ways," Austin said. "The state will spend more to cut the checks."

Getting the rebate becomes more difficult in the later years of the program. Districts and municipalities must present a plan to the state showing that they are cutting expenses by 1 percent a year for each of three years by sharing services or consolidating.

The second year the state check to taxpayers should grow considerably, with reimbursement for tax increases at the school and municipal level, Peters said. The state will only reimburse for municipal increases the third year when school districts drop out of the program, he said.

However, taxpayers will reap the longer lasting effect of having a more efficiently run government, Peters said.

Contact Charley Hannagan by voice or text at 315-470-2161, by email channagan@syracuse.com, on Facebook at Neighbors West or on Twitter @charleypost.

The run, which was free and open to the public, attracted hundreds of runners.

Liverpool, NY -- Central New York runners honored those impacted by the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings by running in a memorial run tonight at Onondaga Lake Park.

The run, which was free and open to the public, attracted more than 200 runners. Organizers encouraged runners to donate to One Fund Boston to support those affected by the bombings.

Hundreds of runners gathered last year at Onondaga Lake Park for a #BostonStrong run, which was held a week after the bombings. The run was a moment of healing for the area's runners. Runners were rallied across the country to run on the same day and time in honor of Boston.

Susan Pugh, of Liverpool, organized the Syracuse race last year. Pugh, who blogs at suzistorm.com, said she thought this year's run had a more upbeat vibe.

"People were happy," Pugh said. "There was a lot of love for Boston here."

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

State police are investigating.

Parish, NY -- A 75-year-old Parish woman turned into the path of a tractor-trailer, and the two vehicles collided Monday afternoon at state Route 69 and Chapman Road in the Oswego County town of Parish, state police said.

Lillian Paninski had stopped at a stop sign on Chapman Road, then turned left onto Route 69, state Trooper Tom Gallery, of the Hastings barracks said. At the same time, Martin Ferguson, 42, of North Syracuse, was driving a Riccelli tractor east on Route 69. The tractor was pulling a sand or gravel trailer the size of a tanker in a 55 mph zone, Gallery said.

Ferguson swerved to avoid the collision, but the vehicles hit at an angle, nearly head-on, the trooper said. Someone called the Oswego County 911 Center to report the crash at 2:18 p.m.

Paninski and Ferguson had minor injuries, Gallery said. McFee Ambulance took both drivers to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, he said. The trooper said both drivers were wearing seat belts and it helped that Paninski's 2014 Nissan was new.

No tickets had been issued Monday night, but state police are continuing to investigate.

Tobias Bowen, a doctor in Liberia, is awaiting extradition back to Onondaga County to face felony sex offense charges.

Tobias Bowen 

Clay, NY -- A Clay man arrested Saturday at a London airport four years after he fled the United States after he was indicted on child sex charges in Onondaga County has been leading one of Liberia's largest public hospitals, authorities confirmed Monday.

Tobias A. Bowen, 47, who lived in the Norstar apartment complex at 4783 Norstar Blvd. in Clay, was charged March 19, 2010 with first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, third-degree rape and third-degree criminal sex act, all felonies. Shortly after his arrest, Bowen posted bail, set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond, Onondaga County Sheriff's Detective Jon Seeber said. A grand jury indicted Bowen on even more charges, but he had already fled to his native Liberia before he could answer the charges in County Court, Seeber said.

After Bowen disappeared, sheriff's detectives assigned to the U.S. Marshals
Fugitive Task Force, along with members of the U.S. Marshals, launched an
investigation into Bowen's whereabouts, Seeber said. They eventually learned Bowen, a doctor in Liberia, was chief administrator of the Redemption Hospital. Seeber said he did not know what Bowen did for a living in the United States. He lived in a couple different apartment complexes in Onondaga County after he moved from Holland to the U.S. in either the late 1990s or early 2000s, Seeber said. Detectives also learned during their investigation Bowen had family in both Liberia and the United Kingdom, Seeber said.

Front Page Africa reported in August 2011 that Bowen, administrator of the Redemption Hospital in New Kru Town, was a "fugitive from justice." The article said Bowen was wanted for having sexual contact with two children, however the sheriff's office confirmed Monday there is one victim. The newspaper also published the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office warrant with Bowen's photo.

Bowen continued to lead Redemption Hospital, a government-run hospital in Liberia. He granted interviews and his photo showed up in news articles about patient well-being, challenges the hospital faced. Bowen also was quoted in articles a year ago as president of Liberia's Timberwolves basketball team. He told one newspaper that he wanted "government through the ministry of youth and sports to invest heavily in the development of sports in the country."

Meanwhile, detectives were tracking him.

With help from the U.S. Marshals International Investigations Branch, detectives received information that Bowen was planning to visit family in the United Kingdom, Seeber said. Knowing Bowen's plane was going to land in London on Saturday, detectives teamed up with the Department of State, Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs and the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office to make their move. It was immediately unclear why they did not arrest Bowen sooner, but Seeber said Monday that Bowen was arrested in a London airport after the plane landed.

Bowen is now awaiting extradition back to the United States. He will face several felony sex offense charges and endangering the welfare of a child, Seeber said. The detective said he did not know who would pay -- or how much it would cost -- but he was confident Bowen will return to Onondaga County. The bail money someone paid to have Bowen released in 2010, however, will not be returned, Seeber said.