State police responded to the report of a Motor vehicle accident into a house on State route 23 in the town of Laurens. William Winans of Norwich was killed in the crash, which occurred at about 2:10 PM Saturday on route 23 near fox road, his wife Kathleen Winans was injured. The investigation into the cause of the accident is continuing.

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Utility customers were overcharged about $250 million over the last 5 years as part of a state-imposed surcharge on energy bills, according to the Public Service Commission. In 2009, New York imposed the 18-a energy surcharge, & $2.9 billion has been collected from the tax.   None of the money went to energy conservation or energy-saving programs, but it went to the state’s general fund. The assessment was supposed to expire this year, but was extended in last year’s budget. The Business Council of New York estimated it would cost taxpayers $2.8 billion over the next 6 years, the Legislature then agreed to phase out the surcharge by 2017.

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