Jordan Axani didn't want the travel ticket he bought his girlfriend to go to waste.

Jordan Axani.A Ticket Forward via The Associated Press 

TORONTO (AP) -- A Toronto man who made headlines last month by offering a free round-the-world air ticket to a woman with the same name as his ex-girlfriend has found Ms. Right.

Jordan Axani, 28, and his then girlfriend, named Elizabeth Gallagher, booked heavily discounted round-the-world air tickets in May, but their relationship ended and he didn't want her ticket to go to waste. The ticket had a strict no-transfer policy, but since passport information was not required when booking, it can be used by any Canadian named Elizabeth Gallagher.

Axani posted his offer last month on the popular Reddit social media website, and received thousands of emails, including 18 from actual Elizabeth Gallaghers with Canadian passports.

He's now chosen his travel mate, Elizabeth Quinn Gallagher, a 23-year-old student and part-time office administrator from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

"It's strictly a platonic trip. It's going to be great," Axani said.

At first the new Elizabeth Gallagher thought a trip with a stranger whose ex-girlfriend's name is the same as hers was "crazy" but she hit it off with Axani after talking on the phone with him for hours.

"It definitely did seem a little bit creepy at the beginning but now that I talked to him it's less creepy and more awesome," she said.

She already has a boyfriend though.

"This is totally sort of like as friends," she said. "I have a pretty serious boyfriend. We've been together for a while. We're planning on buying a house and we have a puppy, so yeah I'm not really looking for anything at all."

She acknowledged her boyfriend isn't thrilled.

"He understands that I've always wanted to travel so while he's not happy I'm taking off for nearly a month at Christmas with a random guy he's smiling through it," she said.

Axani, who works for an international real estate development and advisory firm, said the tickets were purchased for a couple of thousand dollars, but their cash value today is around Canadian $5,000-$7,000 (US$4,400-$6,200).

The trip is scheduled to start Dec. 21 in New York City and continue on to Milan, Prague, Paris, Bangkok and New Delhi before ending in Toronto on Jan. 12. Axani said that after the breakup he deferred all other planning for the trip, such as making hotel reservations.

But since the story became public, Marriott International offered to put him and the new Elizabeth Gallagher up, in separate rooms, during their trip.

Axani said the trip will be documented and shared online. He said that he was so moved by some of the emails -- including one from an 8-year-old boy who said he was going blind and wanted to see the world before that happens -- that he and his brother created an organization called A Ticket Forward to help people who desire to see the world but lack the finances to do so.

Three deputies are expected to be arraigned after a grand jury indicted them last week.

Syracuse, NY -- Three Onondaga County sheriff's deputies are expected to be arraigned this morning on felony charges accusing them of falsifying timesheets for personal gain.

Sgt. Crayg Dykes, Deputy Withro Wiggins and Deputy George Buckton were indicted last week on felony filing false instrument charges, as well as misdemeanor official misconduct. Dykes and Wiggins are also charged with grand larceny and Buckton with petit larceny. They are accused of claiming hours as Centro bus security for time they didn't work.

They were suspended for 30 days without pay, then returned on administrative assignment as the charges play out.

A fourth deputy, Detective Rudolph Reed, was cleared by a grand jury of similar accusations. He will be reinstated with full duties at the sheriff's office.

The number of charges against each of the three deputies reflects the number of times they are accused of falsifying timesheets with Centro.

Dykes faces nine false filing charges relating to $1,732.50 in pay, Wiggins seven false filing charges relating to $1,347.50 in pay and Buckton four false filing charges relating to $770 in pay.

All three accused deputies are expected to appear this morning before County Court Judge Thomas J. Miller.

The law says toy guns cannot be sold in realistic colors unless they bear an orange stripe on the barrel.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York's attorney general wants retailers to stop selling toy guns that are nearly indistinguishable from real firearms.

Eric Schneiderman's office announced Thursday that letters were sent to Walmart, Amazon, K-Mart and Sears telling them to follow a state law intended to ensure that toy guns aren't mistaken for the real thing.

The law says toy guns cannot be sold in realistic colors unless they bear an orange stripe on the barrel.

Schneiderman's office says the toys were sold online, and in one case, at a Rochester-area K-Mart.

A Walmart spokesman says the company will work with Schneiderman to ensure compliance. Messages left with K-Mart, Sears and Amazon Wednesday were not immediately returned.

Schneiderman's move comes after a 12-year-old Ohio boy with a pellet gun was fatally shot by police.

Find out how the Wilmot family plans to pay for Lago and how much tax money the casino will pay New York and local governments.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Looking for more details about the new Lago Resort & Casino headed to Seneca County? Here's what we've found so far.

The following is from Wednesday's decision by the siting panel and from the application Lago made to the state earlier this year:

The overall project is estimated at $425 million. That includes the casino and the 207-room hotel.

The developers -- Wilmorite and the Wilmot family -- has $335 million approved in bank loans for the project. The rest the developers will put in.

Lago's developers have pledged to pay the state a $35 million licensing fee, a one-time payment.

They expect to draw at least 2.8 million visitors a year, with almost 96,000 overnight hotel guests.

The 94,000-square-foot casino will have 2,000 slot machines and 85 gaming tables.

Developers promise the Lago project will create 1,250 to 1,500 jobs at the resort, plus another 1,000 construction jobs.

The Wilmots estimate the resort will generate $923 million in state revenues over its first decade.

When Lago is fully operational, the developers estimate it will have $263 million in gross annual revenues.

Of that, about $90 million will be paid back to state and local governments in annual taxes. Local governments will collect about $6.4 million in annual taxes.

The resort will have at least two restaurants, a spa, a gambling addiction center and a farmers' market buffet. One eatery is called Savor NY and promises a farm-to-table menu.

Lago's developers pledge to use a minimum of 95 percent New York-based contractors.

The casino operations will be run by JNB Gaming, LLC.

Contact Teri Weaver anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-470-2274

H.W.Smith stabbing stemmed from incident the evening before, Contreras said

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Sharon Contreras, Syracuse City School District superintendent, addressed recent incidents of school violence at her Thursday Morning Roundtable talk.

Yesterday's stabbing at H.W. Smith Pre-K-8 School stemmed from an incident between two students the evening before, she said.

A stabbing at Fowler High School three weeks before involved a student who was already on school suspension.

"Students make bad decisions," she said. "When they are surrounded by weapons, you will see some of those weapons come into the schools."

The district is considering putting metal detectors in schools all through the school day, she said. It's not clear how that would work.

"There is quite a bit of resistance to making our schools into what seem prison-like experiences," she said. "But at some point you have to make decisions based on what's happening in our schools, what's happening in our community."

Violence is a community problem, she said.

"We cannot invest every dollar we have into the resources that should be provided by the state, the county and the city for our children. I will not own all of the violence in the community. We have to own it."

Contact Dave Tobin anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3277

Gov. Cuomo is having an open house for the public at his Albany mansion on New Year's Eve day.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is having a little New Year's Eve (day) party and the public is invited.

Cuomo is hosting an open house at the Executive Mansion in Albany from noon to 2 p.m. on New Year's Eve.

Tickets are available to anyone over the age of 16. Each ticket holder can bring the children from their household and one adult guest.

A press release from the governor's office said that tickets are limited, but didn't give a number.

The online registration began this morning and goes through Dec. 26 at 5 p.m. There will be a ticket lottery if the number of people exceeds the number of tickets.

The release didn't indicate whether refreshments would be served, but New York-made Greek yogurt is a strong possibility.

No dress code was specified in the notice, but weapons and controlled substances will not be allowed. And guests should leave their cameras, bags, backpacks, luggage, parcels and briefcases at home.

Contact Marnie Eisenstadt anytime: email | twitter | 315-470-2246.

A white sedan ran a red light before injuring multiple churchgoers and colliding into another car.

Three people were killed and multiple injured after a driver plowed through a crowd of pedestrians leaving a church Christmas pageant in Redondo Beach, California.

Police and fire department personnel responded to the scene around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, according to CBS Los Angeles. According to police, a large group of pedestrians was crossing the street at a crosswalk after leaving a Christmas performance at St. James Catholic Church when the accident occurred.

The driver, an unidentified female, allegedly ran a red light, according to the Los Angeles Times. She struck several pedestrians then continued driving before eventually colliding head on with another vehicle.

"We have as many as 12 victims," Lt. Joe Hoffman, a spokesman for Redondo Beach police, told the Los Angeles Times. "Many of them, if not all, are in critical condition."

Among the victims were at least two children, according to ABC 7. Hoffman also confirmed that an adult transported from the scene later died in the hospital.

KTLA 5 confirmed Thursday morning two other victims had died.

The driver was arrested for felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter, according to CBS LA.

One witness at the scene described bodies flying after the white car hurtled into the crowd, according to Huffington Post.

"One victim was dragged by DUI car down the street and was thrown/trapped under car going other direction," Daily Breeze reporter Carley Dryden posted on Twitter.

Images from the scene soon appeared on social media:

Car ran a red in Redondo Beach hitting around 12 people,killing at least 1. Child's shoes on PCH. At 11 @ABC7 #MapIt pic.twitter.com/fphCitaduq

— Jory Rand (@ABC7Jory) December 18, 2014

The Redondo Beach Patch posted this statement from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles:

"People were walking back to their cars after the St. James school Christmas program, held at St. James parish, had ended. A huge group crossed the street crosswalk when a car ran a red light and plowed into the crowd injuring a number of them, some critically. The community of St. James Catholic School and Parish in Redondo Beach, and the entire Archdiocese of Los Angeles, ask everyone to join them in prayer during this time of tragedy and grief."

Watch the video report from CBS LA below:

It seems like years since it's been here, but sun could return this weekend

Syracuse, N.Y. -- It's been a gray, drizzly December so far, but we might finally see some sun just in time for the shortest days of the year.

The National Weather Service says there's a good chance for the sun to finally peak through on Saturday and Sunday.

"It's been very gloomy," said Ray Brady, a meteorologist with the weather service in Binghamton. "It looks like we finally get rid of this pesky upper level system and a much drier low level system works in late Friday night into Saturday morning.

"If that holds true, it looks like we will get a decent amount of sunshine at least over portions of (Central New York) Saturday and Sunday," he said.

It also looks like a storm system coming up from Mexico won't reach Central New York this weekend, Brady said.

The winter solstice arrives Sunday, the day with the least amount of sunlight all year. (In Syracuse, that's 8 hours, 59 minutes and 53 seconds.) Monday will be only one second longer, and daylight will keep increasing for six months.

December is normally the cloudiest month of the year in Syracuse, with 24 days on average having at least 80 percent cloud cover. In each of the past 11 days, the sky has been obscured by clouds at least 90 percent of the time.

Cloudy December in Syracuse

Contact Glenn Coin: Email | Twitter | Google + | (315) 470-3251

Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney will pick departing legislator's replacement.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- An Onondaga County legislator is stepping down after serving half of his two-year term representing Cicero and part of Manlius.

Jim Corl, a Republican, is resigning his elected post to take a position as a law clerk for Onondaga County Family Court Judge Michael Hanuszczak. Corl, 39, is an attorney in private practice who often handles cases in family court.

View full sizeJim Corl, a Republican representing Cicero and part of Manlius on the Onondaga County Legislature, is leaving elected office to become a law clerk in family court. provided photo  

"I'm dedicated to public service," Corl said. "By assisting the court, I see this as an opportunity to help those children and families in a time of crisis."

He is leaving both his law practice and the Onondaga County Legislature to take the clerk position. Corl said being on the Legislature would create a conflict because the Legislature oversees the county Department of Social Services, which is involved in most of the family court cases.

County Executive Joanie Mahoney will choose someone to fill out the final year of Corl's term.

Contact Marnie Eisenstadt anytime: email | twitter | 315-470-2246.

Three accused deputies had short court appearances.

Syracuse, NY -- Three Onondaga County sheriff's deputies made quick appearances today for arraignment on charges they falsified Centro timesheets for personal gain.

Sgt. Crayg Dykes, Deputy Withro Wiggins and Deputy George Buckton were arraigned this morning on felony filing a false instrument charges and misdemeanor official misconduct. Dykes and Wiggins also face grand larceny charges and Buckton, a petit larceny charge. They're accused of getting paid for providing security on Centro buses for hours they didn't work.

Each appearance took a matter of minutes. They all pleaded not guilty. Their arraignments launch a period in which lawyers can collect evidence and negotiate a disposition. The deputies are all due back to court Feb. 23.

After court, Senior Assistant District Attorney Michael Kasmarek said it's too early to determine what punishment might be appropriate if the deputies are convicted.

But prosecutors will seek felonies as apart of any plea to the case.

"Obviously, the district attorney (William Fitzpatrick) is very involved in what the disposition may be in this case," Kasmarek said. "It would be too early for me to comment; certainly we are going to require a plea to a felony."

The minimum sentence upon conviction would be probation and the maximum would be 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison, Kasmarek said.

When asked if what the deputies is accused of doing was worth criminally prosecuting, Kasmarek emphasized that his office would prosecute any crimes that came to their attention. That's only heightened, in this case, by their official capacities.

The indictment accuses Dykes of receiving $1,732.50, Wiggins of $1,347.50 and Buckton of $770 as a result of the fraudulent timesheets.

The number of charges against each of them reflected the number of fraudulent timesheets submitted, the prosecutor said. Dykes faces nine false filing charges, Wiggins seven and Buckton four.

The investigation began after Centro alerted the DA's office that the deputies were not showing up for shifts to provide security on buses from downtown to Destiny USA. The deputies submitted pay vouchers, received and cashed checks, but did not work the hours claimed, the DA's office found.

All three deputies were suspended for 30 days without pay, but have since returned on administrative duty.

A fourth deputy, Detective Rudolph Reed, was initially charged with stealing $345 in a similar scheme, but was cleared of all charges by a grand jury. The prosecutor would not say anything about evidence presented to the grand jury that may have led to the secret body's decision not to charge Reed.

Reed was accused of falsifying timesheets on two occasions for $345. He's in the process of being reinstated with full duties at the sheriff's office.

None of the accused deputies said anything while leaving court with their lawyers.

 

Syracuse area leads the state with November job losses.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Syracuse area lost 900 jobs in November when compared with the previous year, according to new numbers released from the state Department of Labor.

The region lost more private sector jobs than anywhere else in the state. Utica-Rome lost 300 private sector jobs. The other regions all gained jobs or stayed flat in November.

The Syracuse-area job losses were concentrated in education, health care and manufacturing, as they have been in previous months. (The Syracuse area includes Onondaga, Madison and Oswego counties).

Statewide, the unemployment rate for November was 5.9 percent compared with 7.1 percent in November 2013.

The unemployment rate for the state was the lowest it's been since October 2008.

Regional unemployment numbers will be released later this month.

Contact Marnie Eisenstadt anytime: email | twitter | 315-470-2246.

Cable TV giant Time Warner said its sports programming surcharge will defray the increased costs imposed by sports programmers.

Syracuse, N.Y. — Time Warner Cable will raise its equipment and service fees to start the new year and, for the first time, will impose a $2.75 a month sports programming surcharge.

In a note to customers this week, the cable TV giant said the fee hikes will take effect on their next billing statements, with the exception of customers who are currently receiving initial promotional discounts. For customers receiving promotional discounts, the higher fees will take effect when those discounts end, the company said.

Time Warner said the sports programming surcharge will defray the "increased costs imposed by sports programmers." The notice did not provide any more details about the surcharge, but it appears it will be imposed on all customers, not just those who subscribe to premium sports channels.

Here is the complete list of Time Warner's monthly fee increases:

Digital adapter: From 99 cents to $2.75.
Internet modem lease: From $5.99 to $8.
Broadcast TV surcharge: From $2.25 to $2.75.
Sports programming surcharge: From zero to $2.75.
Discounted channel guide (additional outlet): From $2.77 to $3.27.
HBO: From $14.95 to $16.99.
Movie Pass: From $7.25 to $8.99.

Time Warner began charging its broadcast TV a year ago, saying it was a way to educate subscribers about the rising cost of retransmission fees — the charges it pays to local broadcast stations to transmit their over-the-air programming on its cable network.

It began charging its Internet customers a modem lease fee two years ago. The company said the fee was to help pay for its investment in new equipment, even though in many cases customers had the same Internet modems in their homes for years.

The modem fee started out at $3.95 a month, then quickly rose to $5.99. Now it's jumping to $8.

Time Warner customers can avoid the modem fee if they buy and install their own Internet modems. Watch Syracuse.com video to see how Time Warner Cable subscribers can hook up their own modems to avoid the fee.

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

New York City lawmakers are worried about mid-air collisions

NEW YORK (AP) -- A City Council proposal seeks to ban drones in New York City.

Police could use drones -- but they'd have to get a warrant.

Another bill would restrict drones to limited public spaces like parks, while banning them from heavily populated areas, such as sports arenas or airports.

The Wall Street Journal says Councilman Daniel Garodnick (guh-RAHD'-nihk) is sponsoring the proposal for a broader ban.

Garodnick says he fears drones could be used as weapons, or cause mid-air collisions. He noted that in September, an NYPD helicopter had a near-miss with a drone.

Councilman Paul Vallone's bill would impose the less sweeping restrictions.

Vallone says the city has to take on the issue because the Federal Aviation Administration has not.

The FAA did not immediately respond.

The newly formed Board of Ethics found Supervisor Jessica Zambrano had a conflict when she voted on the C&S Companies contract.

Cicero, NY -- Supervisor Jessica Zambrano's role in the town's business with an engineering firm that includes her boyfriend was a conflict of interest, the town's new Board of Ethics concluded.

The town board voted in April to start the investigation of Zambrano's relationship with Douglas Wickman, a senior principal at C&S Companies.

C&S has been hired each year as the town's engineer, and she cast the deciding vote twice as a councilor. The contract could cost taxpayers as much as $85,000 a year.

Zambrano has acknowledged she is involved in a romantic relationship with Wickman and that they share a residence, but she has said she had nothing to hide and she welcomed the investigation.

The ethics board delivered its opinion to the town board Dec. 10, but the town board refused to release it to the public. The Post-Standard received a copy and confirmed its authenticity.

The ethics board ruled that Zambrano should have disclosed in writing her conflict and should have recused herself from votes on the C&S contract.

Zambrano voted in favor of the engineering firm at least three times while in a relationship with Wickman. As a town councilor, Zambrano voted in favor of the contract in 2010 and 2011. Those votes were 3-2 in favor of the engineering firm. She voted for the contract as supervisor in January.

The ethics board's opinion is advisory and goes to the town board for any possible action.

The board found that Zambrano had an interest in the contract because she received a "financial benefit as a result of the contract."

Zambrano should have disclosed her romantic relationship with Wickman, their co-ownership of their home and the loan he extended to help her pay him for her half of the house, the report said.

The board said it did not know enough to say whether Zambrano had "knowingly and willfully" disregarded the conflict. She told investigators that she had acted on advice from the town attorney and the district attorney's office. The ethics board said it could not confirm that.

Zambrano said Thursday that she had no comment on the report.

Robert George, a Cicero resident, sparked the investigation by calling for Zambrano's resignation on April 9. George alleged that Zambrano voted to select C&S companies as the town engineer after she took the position of supervisor and that she has personally signed the contract designating the company as the the town's engineer firm. Zambrano should have abstained from the vote due to a conflict of interest, George said.

George filed an ethics complaint against Zambrano with the town and the state.

In April the town did not have a functioning ethics board and decided to move forward with hiring an independent attorney and certified public accountant to conduct the investigation, but the town did not receive any written proposals.

In August the town board began the process of reviving its ethics board, which would typically handle these investigations.

The ethics board held its first meeting in October. The board has five members: Kenn Peters, Robert DiFlorio, Bill Bradley, Chuck Abbey and Robert Tomeny. Bradley is the chairman.

The ethics board recommend that the town board consider the following actions:

• Reword the definition of "Family" in Section 22-2 B of the Cicero Code of Ethics to read as follows: "Family -- including spouse, domestic partner and/or any other dependent members of the household."
• That a yearly seminar by mandatory by resolution for all elected and appointed town of Cicero officers in regard to the Cicero Code of Ethics and Article 18 of the General Municipal Law of the State of New York.
• New York State law currently requires elected and appointed officials from any municipality of over 50,000 person (not including the City of New York) to yearly submit financial disclosure form. Although Cicero falls below the 50,000 person threshold, it is the recommendation of the Cicero Board of Ethics that a financial disclosure statement be required for Town of Cicero elected and appointed officials, to be updated yearly at the Town Board organizational meeting.
• That the Cicero Board of Ethics meet in January of each year to review the financial disclosure documents and to conduct any other business that may lawfully come before the board.

The ethic board's opinion is to be used to guide the town board in its decision. The town board will likely discuss the matter at its next town board meeting, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 14.

Cicero Board of Ethics -- Advisory Opinions

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

The cyclist, Silas Patlove, suffered some cuts, scrapes and a concussion.

Silas Patlove, 40, of San Francisco recorded the video on a mounted camera while riding his bike near Sausalito, SF Gate reported. The video gets off to an unremarkable start before the deer explodes into view from the right side of the road and collides with Patlove.

The camera whirls in chaos as Patlove falls from his bike. He can be heard groaning after the impact.

Patlove uploaded the video to YouTube where it has since been viewed over 900,000 times. He left this statement with some details about the incident:

"Although I don't remember it, I landed on my back, and hit the back of my Giro helmet, which probably saved me from serious brain injury. Although I had a mild concussion with a bit of memory loss around the event, I am very grateful to have escaped feeling only a little banged up. I cannot speak to the deer's injuries. Also, thank you very much to the folks who stopped to help. This video was recorded on a Fly6 camera."

SF Gate noted that deer have actually run into traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge before. In September, two deer appeared on the bridge during an evening commute, snarling traffic.

It was Deer on the Golden Gate Bridge! Hope they are safe! Kind of awesome! pic.twitter.com/3TVyQ7RNYv

— Rydalia (@Rydalia) September 6, 2014

The teen is on trial for attempted homicide.

WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) -- One of two girls accused of stabbing a classmate in a southeastern Wisconsin park to please a fantasy character known as Slender Man is competent to stand trial for attempted homicide, a judge ruled Thursday.

A state psychiatrist determined that the girl would be able to assist in her defense, but her attorney disputed the finding, saying he had a report from another doctor who disagreed. Both reports are sealed.

Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren, who ruled at the end of a three-and-a-hour hearing, said that by all accounts, the girl is highly intelligent.

"I'm satisfied that the issues of age and maturity do not override her competency," the judge said. "She's competent to make the decisions that have to be made."

The decision keeps the case moving in adult court. Bohren scheduled a preliminary hearing, at which point he would have to decide whether there's enough evidence to warrant a trial, for Feb. 18 and Feb. 19.

Two psychologists, Anthony Jurek and Michael Caldwell, testified for the defense that they interviewed the girl several times. They said although she is clearly intelligent, the girl has trouble making decisions when she's bombarded with information and lacks an understanding of the nuances of the criminal justice system, including the ramifications of accepting a plea bargain.

Another psychologist, Robert Rawski, testified for the state that he found the girl to be highly capable. And Ted Szczupakiewicz, an assistant district attorney, said it appears the girl answered the defense experts' questions about the legal system correctly.

"She does understand she ... would be an important source of information for a defense attorney," Szczupakiewicz said.

Bohren scheduled a Thursday afternoon hearing to decide whether the other defendant is competent to stand trial.

Prosecutors have charged both girls with attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the attack in May in Waukesha, a city of 71,000 about 15 miles west of Milwaukee. They say the girls plotted for months to kill classmate Payton Leutner, luring her to a wooded park after a sleepover and stabbing her 19 times. After her attackers left, Leutner crawled through the woods to a sidewalk where a bicyclist found her and called 911.

The two girls charged in the case were found walking toward a national forest where they said they believed Slender Man lived in a mansion. They told investigators they believed killing Leutner would curry favor with the figure.

All three girls were 12 at the time of the attack. The girl whose competency was in question has since turned 13.

Wisconsin law requires suspects in severe crimes to be charged as adults if they are at least 10 years old. The Associated Press is not naming the girls because their attorneys have said they may still try to move their cases into juvenile court, where proceedings are closed to the public.

Sony has faced outcry over the decision not to release "The Interview," but Greta Van Susteren thinks the company should have known better.

Sony Pictures shelved "The Interview" last night in the wake of numerous theaters deciding to cancel showing the film.

Celebrities took to Twitter to denounce Sony's decision to cancel the film. Jimmy Kimmel called it an "un-American act of cowardice," while SU alum Aaron Sorkin said the U.S. succumbed to an attack on our freedom of speech.

One Fox News anchor expressed outrage at Sony too, but for a different reason. Greta Van Susteren, host of "On the Record," launched a tirade against the film company on Twitter, calling them "idiots" for ever making the film in the first place.

The comedy starring James Franco and Seth Rogen depicts a plot to assassinate North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Hackers who leaked information from Sony's computers threatened theaters that planned to show the film with references to 9/11. On Wednesday, federal investigators confirmed that the hackers originated in North Korea.

Here's what Van Susteren thinks of the whole debacle:

How #stupid- #Sony could have made a fictional movie but instead insults unstable country w/nuclear weapons.Sony= #idiots

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) December 17, 2014

I have been to North Korea 3 times - and Sony may think they are clever but they are ignorant. They don't get it.

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) December 17, 2014

Just like #hollywood glorifying #torture and then being scandalized when USA really does it

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) December 17, 2014

. #Sony is so consumed with making $ that it does not use good judgment;if they had called me, I would have set them straight;been to NK 3x

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) December 17, 2014

anyone who has been to NK knows how dangerous it is and would not have been so stupid to make that movie;

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) December 17, 2014

Sony could have made up a country and done the movie-instead Sony shows how ignorant it is of the dangers w/NK

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) December 17, 2014

EVERY ROOM in NK has pics of their leader and it is a crime to insult leader; #Sony is ignorant of NK; erratic country w/ nukes

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) December 17, 2014

Still, the pressure to release the film seems to be growing. Celebrities and political figures suggested alternatives to releasing the film in theaters.

"Release @TheInterview free online globally. Ask viewers for voluntary $5 contribution to fight #Ebola," wrote Mitt Romney, who urged Sony not to cave.

"Game of Thrones" author George R. R. Martin invited Seth Rogen and James Franco to show the film in his theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

"It's a good thing these guys weren't around when Charlie Chaplin made THE GREAT DICTATOR," Martin wrote on his LiveJournal. "If Kim Jong-Un scares them, Adolf Hitler would have had them s---ing in their smallclothes."

What do you think of the reaction to the Sony hack? Does Van Susteren have a point? Leave a comment below.

U.S. District Court Judge George O'Toole Jr. said he would rule in writing on pending motions

BOSTON (AP) -- Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev returned to court Thursday for the first time since he was arraigned in July 2013, and he received a shout of encouragement from the mother-in-law of a man who was shot and killed while being questioned by law enforcement after the bombings.

Security was tight at the federal courthouse in Boston for Tsarnaev's final pretrial conference. Tensions ran high, and one bombing victim had a testy exchange with protesters outside.

During the brief court hearing, U.S. District Court Judge George O'Toole Jr. made no rulings, saying he would rule in writing on pending motions, including the defense's latest push to move the trial out of Boston.

David Bruck, one of Tsarnaev's lawyers, told the judge that the defense plans to file a motion to delay the trial, which is now scheduled to begin on Jan. 5 with jury selection. Bruck did not say how long of a delay the defense will seek.

At one point, the mother-in-law of Ibragim Todashev called out to Tsarnaev in Russian in the courtroom. Elena Teyer said she told him: "We pray for you. Be strong, my son. We know you are innocent."

Later, in English, she yelled to the law enforcement officers escorting her out of the room: "Stop killing innocent people. Stop killing innocent boys."

Tsarnaev never flinched or acknowledged the shouts.

Three people were killed and more than 260 were injured when two bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 2013 marathon. Tsarnaev, who has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges, faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted.

Tsarnaev, 21, wore a black sweater and gray trousers and had a scruffy beard and a curly hairstyle similar to the one seen in earlier photos. He smiled to his attorneys and one patted him on the arm.

The courtroom was packed with FBI agents, police who worked on the case and more than a dozen survivors and family members.

Outside the courthouse, a man who lost his right leg in the bombings had a testy exchange with a small group of protesters holding signs supporting Tsarnaev and questioning whether authorities have proof that he is responsible for the bombings.

Marc Fucarile held up his prosthetic leg and moved it back and forth toward the demonstrators, saying: "That's proof right there."

One of the demonstrators said to Fucarile: "You should care that they get the right guy."

Fucarile replied: "Get a life, lady. Go to work."

At his last court appearance 17 months ago, Tsarnaev still bore signs of the bloody standoff with police that led to his capture and the death of his older brother, Tamerlan. His left arm was in a cast, his face was swollen and he appeared to have a jaw injury. In court Thursday, he had no visible injuries.

Tsarnaev's trial is expected to last several months, and seating a jury alone could take several weeks to a month.

Judge O'Toole questioned Tsarnaev about whether he had waived his right to appear at previous hearings. Tsarnaev answered in a clear voice: "Yes, sir."

Asked by the judge if he believes his lawyers had acted in his best interests, he said: "Very much."

Earlier this month, Tsarnaev's lawyers argued anew that "emotionally charged" media coverage and the widespread impact of the attacks have made it impossible for him to get a fair trial in Massachusetts.

O'Toole had rejected Tsarnaev's first request in September to move the trial, ruling that defense lawyers had failed to show that extensive pretrial media coverage of the bombings had prejudiced the jury pool to the point that an impartial jury could not be chosen in Boston.

Tsarnaev's lawyers previously said the trial should be moved to Washington, D.C.

O'Toole also rejected a defense request that prosecutors turn over evidence about his older brother's possible participation in a 2011 triple killing in suburban Waltham.

In May 2013, the FBI and Massachusetts State Police were questioning Todashev about that killing when an FBI agent shot and killed the 27-year-old mixed martial arts fighter inside his Orlando, Florida, home.

Officials initially said Todashev had lunged at a state trooper with a knife but later said it was a pole. Todashev's family has disputed that account.

Prosecutors have said Todashev told authorities Tamerlan Tsarnaev participated in the Waltham triple slaying in which the victims' bodies were found with their throats slit and their bodies sprinkled with marijuana.

The decision to ban fracking will hurt Cuomo's popularity in the Southern Tier, but plays well toward a national Democratic constituency, according to political commenters.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is getting heaped with praise by environmentalists and scorn by business interests for a planned state ban on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, even as he insists the decision wasn't his.

Residents statewide remain almost evenly split on the issue, and the divisions are clear, pollsters said Thursday. The decision announced Wednesday followed Cuomo's re-election last month, which the Democrat won easily as expected.

Quinnipiac University Poll's Mickey Carroll said the political impact is likely to be limited and the decision was predictable.

"One area where it's going to hurt old Andrew is in the Southern Tier. They wanted the money," Carroll said. "Andrew Cuomo, for all the baloney that's written about him, is a liberal Democrat."

Marist Poll's Lee Miringoff said the decision plays well toward a national Democratic constituency, if that was part of any calculation.

"Whether Cuomo is keeping an eye to that or not, it's anybody's guess," Miringoff said. "But certainly if you ever are considering taking the show on the road, you want to be on the side of fracking that he's on for Democrats."

Cuomo has said for two years he'd await his health department's analysis and let science determine the outcome.

Following his pledge again Wednesday to defer to experts on "this highly technical question," his health and conservation commissioners described analyses that identified contamination threats to water, soil and air, the absence of reliable health studies or proof that drillers can protect the public, as well as diminishing economic prospects.

"The time to do it is when gas prices are plummeting," Miringoff noted. "In the short term, this cushions the blow."

Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens said he'll issue the ban early next year. He said 63 percent of the state's 12 million acres with these possible gas deposits would already be off-limits because of protections for the New York City and Syracuse watersheds, other drinking water sources and certain other areas, while court rulings have recognized towns' authority to individually ban hydrofracking through zoning, further limiting financial prospects.

Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said 4,500 staff hours were spent reviewing health studies about the drilling method of extracting oil and gas from deep underground by pumping huge amounts of water, sand and chemicals at high pressures to break up rock formations. It's being done in many other states, including neighboring Pennsylvania.

Zucker said his counterparts in several other states told him they were not consulted before their high-volume hydraulic fracturing began. He said he wouldn't want his family to live near it, and suggested it could be like secondhand smoke, which studies eventually identified as harmful.

Cuomo was asked about the decision again on Thursday.

"If the state health commissioner doesn't want his kids living there, I don't want my kids living there and I don't want any New Yorker's kids living there," he said. "I am not going to put health at risk for jobs. I'm not going to make that choice."

Siena Research Institute's Steve Greenberg said only Cuomo himself can answer whether it was a political decision. He said if there was an advantage, it would have been in the fall when the governor was having trouble with the left side of the Democratic Party, making it easier for him to say now it was apolitical.

"The bottom line is supporters are going to be unhappy with this decision. Opponents of fracking are going to be happy with this decision," Greenberg said. "Those who are unhappy are going to say, 'See, it was a political decision.' Those who are happy are going to say, 'It was based on the merits.'"

Parolee John Kosmetatos is tied to a Syracuse murder, a Cicero shooting and attempted arson, and a robbery and stabbing in Clay.

John KosmetatosDepartment of Correction 

Syracuse, NY -- This was the plan: find a man with a nice car, lure him with the promise of sex and rob him of his car at a vacant North Side house in Syracuse.

But things turned out far worse: the victim of the plan was stabbed and beaten with brass knuckles, left to die in the backyard of a vacant house on East Division Street, according to an indictment released this month.

Parolee John Kosmetatos, 27, of 211 Kinne St., and Nichole Cross, 21, of 800 Winchester Road, both of East Syracuse, were charged with murder. A third woman, Melissa Swift, 23, of 610 1/2 E. Division St., Syracuse, was charged with robbery.

The indictment describes what prosecutors say happened before the Sept. 1 murder:

Cross and Swift dressed up as prostitutes to lure a man with a car around Lodi Street.

Tony Lewis, 40, let them into his red 2008 Cadillac CTS and drove them to the vacant house at 638 E. Division St., expecting sexual favors in return.

Things escalated quickly before they arrived: Cross texted Kosmetatos at the vacant house, and they talked about stabbing the victim and slashing his throat.

When they arrived at the house, Kosmetatos was waiting in the backyard. He opened the car door and attacked Lewis while demanding the vehicle.

Kosmetatos stabbed Lewis with a knife and beat him with brass knuckles, causing his death.

Cross and Kosmetatos then drove off in the Cadillac. Lewis was found dead the next day. Cross and Kosmetatos were caught in Brooklyn two days later.

The indictment included unusual amounts of detail because the defendants are charged with conspiracy, which prompted prosecutors to lay out 16 "overt acts" as proof.

Kosmetatos, paroled in June on a drug conviction, faces the most serious crime, a first-degree murder charge, for killing Lewis during the commission of a robbery. That's punishable by up to life in prison without chance of parole.

He and Cross also face multiple counts of second-degree murder under various theories of Lewis's homicide. Swift was implicated only in the robbery, not the homicide.

Attempted arson and gunfire in Cicero

Kosmetatos is also charged with firing a shotgun a day after Lewis's murder at an occupied Weaver Road residence in Cicero. Another man, Richard Spagnuola, is also indicted in that crime.

In addition, they are accused of attempting to set fire to the residence, knowing two people were inside. There's no mention in the indictment of injuries to the occupants.

Spagnuola's indictment was unsealed today before state Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti. He is not accused in connection with Lewis's murder.

He and Kosmetatos face attempted arson, weapons and reckless endangerment charges, accused of causing a grave risk of death to the occupants by firing at the house.

Thefts from a Syracuse church

Kosmetatos also faces charges that he burglarized the Our Lady of Pompei Catholic Church, at 301 Ash St., on Aug. 19.

Items stolen included a 55-inch television, a suitcase, an iPhone with a gray and orange case, an electric shaver, a GPS device, a 16GB flash drive, three pieces of a massage tool, two wrist watches, three bottles of liquor and a wallet, according to the court records.

A set of rosary beads, a yellow metal communion chalice and pieces to a second communion chalice were also stolen, according to court records.

Some of the items were recovered during a search of 112 Mary St. on Aug. 22, according to the documents, but it is unclear what items were found at that time.

A robbery and stabbing in Clay

Lastly, Kosmetatos faced a new indictment in court today. This one charges him with robbing a Clay man and stabbing him during a burglary Aug. 4 at the victim's Vine Street residence, near the village of Liverpool.

The victim suffered multiple stab wounds that required medical attention, the indictment states.

Kosmetatos is accused of conspiring with Nathan Ziverts in that crime. Ziverts has also been charged.

No photos of the suspects have been released and the judge does not allow cameras in the courtroom before sentencing. The prison system released Kosmetatos's mugshot.

All five defendants remain in custody