WCDO Radio News

Roger Clough has officially resigned as Superintendent of the Walton School district, following an out of court settlement where Clough will receive 2 years pay, and possible charges of professional misconduct against him will be dropped will be dropped.  The Walton School Board has appointed Larry Thomas as the new Superintendent.

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A “Go Fund Me” page has been set up for Cooperstown Police Chief Mike Covert, who is suffering from a variety of Health issues & had to take a leave of absence.  Covert faces expensive medical bills & will need a kidney transplant, his health insurance had lapsed briefly, and the fund was set up, it has raised almost $14,000 dollars through yesterday. 

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The Rotary Club of Sidney will be hosting a fundraiser on March 16th for the Howard & Catherine Lynch Scholarship fund for a graduating Sidney High School Senior.  Spokesman Larry Halbert explains:

(Larry Halbert 3-5-19)

Tickets can be purchased at the Sidney & Norwich American Legions, at VEP+ on Main Street in Sidney, or by calling Larry Halbert at 237-4762, the deadline to purchase tickets is March 6th.

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The first Teen Institute Summit was held at Sidney high school on Monday, coordinated by the Heart of New York Teen Institute program.  Sidney Superintendent Bill Christensen explains:

(Bill Christensen 3-5-19)

The Teen Institute seeks to reduce underage alcohol use, tobacco and other drug use and other self-destructive behaviors.  Monday’s summit in Sidney was a supplement to a fall conference the program normally holds.

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State Senator Jim Seward welcomed J.P. Dewey from Sidney High School to Monday in Albany as part of the annual “Music in our Schools Month” celebration.   Dewey performed as a member of the prestigious All State Instrumental Jazz Ensemble. He is the first ever pianist from the Sidney area to be selected to play with the 18 member group.  Choirs, orchestras and bands from across the state travel to Albany throughout the month of March to perform in the concourse of the Empire State Plaza as part of “Music in our Schools Month”.

Otsego County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 19 year old Skyler Blass of Otego & 18 year old Treyton Hathaway of Oneonta on Felony drug charges after traffic stop Friday.   Deputies were alerted to be on the lookout for a vehicle that fled the scene of a motor vehicle accident in the Town of Davenport.  Deputies observed the vehicle on State Highway 23; it was stopped on East Street in the City of Oneonta.  Deputies seized 3 pounds of packaged psychedelic mushrooms and 5 pounds of packaged marihuana in the vehicle.  Blass & Hathaway were arraigned,  Blass was remanded to the Otsego County Jail on $20,000 Cash Bail / $50,000 bond, Hathaway was remanded on $10,000 Cash Bail / $20,000 Bond.  The motor vehicle accident is still under investigation by the State Police.

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State Police arrested 39 year old Brad Keesler of Triangle for Criminal Obstruction of Breathing, Criminal Mischief and Unlawful Imprisonment, after a report of a domestic dispute.  Keesler allegedly choked a victim and prevented the victim from calling 911 and leaving the residence.  Troopers attempted to locate Keesler for several days; he turned himself in on March 3 and was arrested.  He was processed then taken to Broome County Central Processing for arraignment.

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The announcement of the City of Oneonta Downtown Improvement awards will be made Today by Mayor Gary Herzig as part of his annual State of the City address during the regularly scheduled meeting of the Oneonta Common Council beginning at 7:00pm. The meeting will be held in the Foothills Performing Arts Center’s Production Center on the first floor to accommodate those wishing to attend.  As part of Oneonta’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, $2.3M was set aside to be provided to downtown business and property owners for grants to update exterior signage and building facades along with the development of quality upper floor housing. The Mayor and Common Council had appointed a Project Selection Committee chaired by former Mayor Kim Muller to review the more than 100 applications which were received.

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 25-year-old Allen Conkling of Fish’s Eddy for 2 counts of Burglary & 2 counts of Petty Larceny. Conkling is accused of entering a building at a Lumber Yard and stealing various items on 2 separate occasions. Conkling was arraigned in the Town of Colchester Court he was remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility on $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bond.

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The next General Clinton Canoe Regatta committee meetings will be held tonight at Galaxy Bowl in Bainbridge.  At 6:30 the Race committee will meet, followed at 7:30 by the General Meeting.

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Governor Cuomo and State leaders have not agreed on the amount of available revenue for the next state budget plan.   The lack of a consensus will require that State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli must come up with an estimate by Tomorrow, which will be used as the reference point for future negotiations on the budget plan; the budget needs to be passed by the beginning of the fiscal year on April 1st.  Last month, the governor and DiNapoli announced tax revenues for the current budget were down $2.3 billion. The Democrats blame much of the shortfall on federal tax changes that started last year.

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 31 year-old Christina Townsend of Port Crane for 3^rd degree Grand Larceny & Scheming to Defraud,  following an investigation by Sheriff’s Deputies and Broome Developmental Center staff into on-going thefts from residents by an employee.  Townsend is accused of engaging in an ongoing scheme while employed at a Franklin residential facility that resulted in the theft of more than $12,000 from developmentally disabled residents.  Townsend was arraigned at the Town of Franklin Court and was released upon her own recognizance pending future court proceedings

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State Police Traffic Incident Management Unit responded to a fatal car crash on Interstate 81 in the town of Cortlandville this morning at 6:43 AM,   Troopers responded after a TLC Ambulance was traveling southbound responding to a call, & they were slowing to make a U-turn with all of their emergency lights activated.  A 68-year-old unidentified male from Baldwinsville was driving an SUV in the left lane & struck the ambulance on its driver’s side before losing control & striking a guiderail.  The ambulance crew responded & found the driver unresponsive, he was taken to an area hospital & was pronounced deceased.   The investigation is still pending; the name of the victim will be released at a later time. No tickets have been issued at this time.

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The State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services today announced the award of more than $5.1 million in funding to establish 14 new recovery community centers across New York State, and expand services at two existing recovery centers. Funding is administered by the Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse and its fiscal partner, the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene.  In the Southern Tier, The Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties, will receive $350,000.

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The 25th annual Colorscape Chenango, the premier arts festival in Central New York, will be held September 7^th & 8^th in downtown Norwich. The application deadline for exhibiting artists is this Friday, March 8th. Colorscape invites Chenango County high school students to participate in the Billboard Art Challenge called “Art Can Change the World.” Submissions are due April 26th, more information is available at 336-3378 or visit colorscape.org.

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Delaware County Public Health Services and Friends of Recovery of Delaware Otsego will be sponsoring a Recovery Coach Academy & Ethical Considerations training during the week of March 25th-March 30th in Delhi and Margaretville.   The 30 hour training covers the Connecticut Center for Addiction Recovery model for peer specialist roles and responsibilities.  This Recovery Coach Academy includes all course materials. Scholarships are available, more information or registration is available at 267-4435 or by email at sarah@friendsofrecoverydo.org

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State Police arrested 32 year old Michael Ide of Schenevus for felony Aggravated Unlicensed Operation and Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs.  A trooper monitoring traffic on State Highway 7 in the town of Worcester observed a vehicle with an equipment violation.  A traffic stop was initiated and the trooper observed that Ide was impaired & his license was suspended.  Ide was released on appearance tickets & was then turned over to a sober third party.

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State Police arrested 52 year old Frank Price of Sherburne for Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a BAC of .19%.  Troopers were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle in the town of Sherburne, they spotted the vehicle stopped in the middle of the roadway, running, with its brake and headlights on and Price asleep behind the wheel.   Price was processed and released on appearance tickets returnable to the town of Sherburne Court on March 11th. 

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A Delaware County jury acquitted Jeffrey Hitchcock of Sidney Center Friday, for charges of sexual abuse & endangering the welfare of a minor.  Hitchcock had been accused of inappropriately touching an 11 year old female; the jury took a little over 4 hours to find Hitchcock not guilty of the charges.

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Chenango Links will host a discussion with Chenango County Board of elections Commissioners Mary Lou Monahan & Carol Franklin this evening in Norwich.  The event will be held at Bohemian Moon at 103 E. Main Street in Norwich, starting at 5:30 PM.

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Fahrudin Omerovic of Utica was sentenced to 12 years in prison plus 4 years of post-release Supervision, after being convicted of in Oneida County Court for making a terroristic threat on the Utica College campus in March of 2018. Omerovic admitted to making the threats, which forced many to clear the campus for 2 days to investigate the threat & find the party responsible. 

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Governor Cuomo announced that the State DEC released proposed regulations to improve air quality and protect public health with new, stringent requirements on peak-use power plants. The proposal will establish lower thresholds for emissions of nitrogen oxides, which contribute to harmful levels of ozone, or smog, on hot summer days. Dozens of simple cycle and regenerative combustion turbines at power plants are still in limited use across the state, & they emit Nitrogen Oxides at levels that are 30 times more than newer turbine emissions.

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Assemblyman Cliff Crouch joined his Republican Minority colleagues at a press conference in Albany to announce their budget priorities for 2019-20:

(Crouch 2-28-19)

The Legislature has until April 1st to pass the budget plan on time for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

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2 State lawmakers are considering a proposal to legalize prostitution in New York State.  2 New York City State Senators, Julia Salazar & Jessica Ramos forwarded the proposal this week, only a few counties in the state of Nevada have legalized Prostitution, none of t5he 50 states as a whole, have legal prostitution, the proposal is not expected to make it the Governor’s desk this year.

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Emergency crews responded to the report of a 2 vehicle crash on state route 166 in the town of Middlefield this morning.  1 unidentified person was injured in the crash, State DOT officials remind residents to try to steer clear of snow plows doing their jobs during the winter weather.

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Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County announced the availability of programs to make homes more energy efficient through the Weatherization Assistance Program and Empower NY, which can provide over $10,000 of energy improvements for income eligible households.  These programs cover such improvements as: Insulation and air sealing; replacement of inefficient heating equipment; installation of high-efficiency lighting; replacement of refrigerators and inefficient appliances.  More information is available at 865-6531 or by email to jmd30@cornell.edu.

The Oneonta Comprehensive Steering Committee meeting will be held this evening at Oneonta City Hall.  The meeting will begin at 6:00 PM in the Common Council Chambers; it was moved from Wednesday night to tonight due to the wintry weather. 

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The Commerce Chenango Economic Outlook Breakfast will be held this morning at the Canasawacta Country Club, on County Road 44 in Norwich, 13815.  Registration begins at 7:30; the presentation begins at 8:15, Featuring NBT Bank keynote speaker, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Kenneth Entenmann.

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The Tri Town Coalition on Substance Abuse Prevention meeting will be held this evening in Sidney.  The meeting will begin at 6:00 PM at the Sidney High School Library; the Guest Speaker will be Megan Walradth of the Central Region Prevention Resource Center.

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Jury selection is complete & the murder trial of Ernest Franklin is underway today in Chenango County Court. Franklin & his wife Heather are accused of murdering the special needs son Jeffrey in the family home & then setting the house on fire, mimicking the plot of a movie that the Franklin’s watched called “Manchester By the Sea” Heather Franklin’s trial will be held in Chenango county court later this year.

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State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has analyzed the $175.1 billion 2019-20 Executive Budget plan, which advances several measures to reduce the financial risks posed to New York by unpredictable tax revenues and federal funding. State tax collections for January were $2.3 billion below the Division of Budget’s initial projections; they reduced estimates of tax receipts for the current and next fiscal years by $5.7 billion since release of the November update of the Financial Plan.  DiNapoli’s report also finds that Out-year budget gaps projected for the 3 years starting with 2020-21 budget average $4.8 billion annually; projected school aid would total $27.7 billion, an increase of $956 million, the report is available at osc.state.ny.us/reports/budget/2019.

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The Tri Town Relay for life event will be held in June at General Clinton Park in Bainbridge, prior to that, the kick off “Carnival For A Cure” will be held on March 6th at the Sidney Elks Lodge on River Street from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, spokesperson Gretta Henchey explains:

(Gretta Henchey 2-27-19)

More information about the March 6th event is available at 267-0014.  The Relay for Life event will be held in June 7th from 6:00 to 11:00 PM.

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19 year old Christopher Youngs of the Town of Maryland was arrested Monday after leading Oneonta Police officers in a chase that resulted in the injury of one of the officers.   Youngs was charged with 2nd-degree assault of a police officer, resisting arrest, and unlawful possession of marijuana, after police were attempting to locate Youngs on outstanding Bench Warrants, at 31 Fairview Street.  Youngs jumped out a 2nd-story window and he led officers in a pursuit down a hillside.    Youngs was arraigned Tuesday in the Oneonta City Court and was being held on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond at the Otsego County Correctional Facility.

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3 men were arraigned in federal court Wednesday on charges connected to the bank robbery at the M&T Bank branch in North Greenbush Tuesday morning.  Christopher Cohn and Ulysses Walls were both charged with bank robbery offenses. A third man, Quardel Valentine, was charged with conspiracy. 1 bank teller was grazed by a bullet in the arm, as the 3 assailants fired their weapons upon leaving the M&T bank, descriptions of the getaway car led police to a nearby motel where the 3 were arrested.

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Cornell Cooperative Extension will host a Farmers’ Market Community Meeting at their Hamden office on Wednesday, March 13th, from 9:30-11:30 am.  The goal of this meeting is to create and/or strengthen relationships among individuals and groups that support farmers’ markets in Delaware County.  More information is available at 865-6531 or ccedelaware.org.

Following previous postponements, Jury selection was scheduled to begin today in Chenango County Court for the murder trial of Ernest Franklin of Guilford.  Franklin and his wife Heather face charges for allegedly murdering their special needs son Jeffrey in their Town of Guilford Home and then setting fire to the home to cover up the murder in March of 2017.

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The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Binghamton was closed down by authorities today for an investigation. The Federal Protective Service, Binghamton police and the Binghamton Fire Department responded to the federal building at about 12:00 Noon today at 15 Henry Street, the  same agencies responded Friday to the Social Security Office on Court Street after an employee opened an envelope containing a white powdery substance.

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Governor Cuomo Signed the new “Red Flag Bill” into law, 6 years after signing the New York Safe Act:

(Cuomo 2-25-19)

Cuomo attended a function today in New York City where he urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to try to enact this legislation on a National basis.

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NYSEG reported that power outages around the state were down to about 14,000 this afternoon, following the High winds around the state since yesterday afternoon.  This Afternoon, 659 Broome County customers were without power, along with 112 in Chenango County, 258 in Delaware County & 244 in Otsego County.  NYSEG Crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible.

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Local Police Agencies are warning the public about a Social Security scam where the caller identifies himself as a police officer in an attempt to gain person and financial information from the victim, the Police Department’s name may also appear on your phone as the caller.   Police Department will never request financial information or Social Security numbers over the phone; they also do not request any type of payment to be made over the phone via credit card or gift card. The Vestal Police Department was alerted Friday that a scam was perpetrated in their name last week.

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Governor Cuomo stated that losing the Amazon Warehouse project & the 25,000 jobs along with it, is the greatest tragedy of his tenure as governor.  Amazon recently pulled out of the Long Island City Queens Project after several local politicians came out against Amazons Anti-Union history, and they announced that they will stick with their remaining facilities.

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Governor Cuomo announced this morning that school district that cancel classes due to the high winds today, will not be penalized.  School districts are allowed a certain number of snow days each year before their state aid is subtracted; today will not be counted as part of that formula.

NYSEG reports that about 900 customers in Broome, Chenango, & Delaware Counties are without power from the high winds in the region.  Crews are trying to restore the power as quickly as possible.   NYSEG customers should call 1-800-572-1131 to report downed power lines or other hazardous situations.

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The Binghamton Devils today released a new mobile app for fans to stay connected with everything Devils-related on the go. All fans that download the app will be entered to win 2 tickets to 1 of the remaining home games this season.  The new Devils App features up to date news on the team, roster, and schedule, including theme nights and discounted tickets. Direct links to listen and watch the game on your mobile device will also be provided.

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The next Bainbridge United meeting is this evening @ 7:00 pm at the back of Bob’s Diner. 

Binghamton Police arrested 23 year old Kyle Adkins of Binghamton on a 2nd degree Robbery charge.   Police reported that on Wednesday afternoon 2 masked men entered 56 Pine Street in the city, Police were called Officers apprehended Adkins, another suspect fled on foot & is still at large.  Police said that no shots were fired during the burglary, no injuries occurred, the investigation is continuing.

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The Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship and SUNY Cobleskill will offer a free legal workshop On Wednesday, March 6th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in Oneonta, for farms and food businesses on the important topic of succession planning. The workshop is part of a 2019 Farm and Food Business Incubator Workshop series covering essential topics in business planning and management, it will be held at the Center’s Oneonta office location at 189 Main Street, 5th Floor, More Information or registration is available at 433-2545.

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Today, the New York State Association of Counties urged Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature to make modifications to the proposed expansion of the Returnable Container Act, which would add a deposit to sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit and vegetable beverages, and ready-to-drink coffees and teas.  The Association claims that the proposal harms recycling programs that are already being threatened by global recycling market volatility, instead they urge the State to add a deposit to additional glass beverage containers, including wine and liquor bottles, hard cider bottles, and non-alcoholic glass beverage containers as Glass causes problems in the municipal recycling stream because it breaks and contaminates other recyclables. Placing a deposit on these containers would increase glass recycling, reduce municipal recycling costs, and reduce glass contamination.

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NY State of Health released county-level enrollment statistics showing that overall enrollment increased in each of New York’s 62 counties. Total enrollment in the Marketplace is now over 4.7 million people, reflecting an increase of more than 435,000 people from 2018.  NY State of Health focused increased marketing and outreach efforts in areas with higher uninsured rates, which contributed to enrollment gains across all program types. Counties with the Highest Percentage Increase in Combined Qualified Health Plan & Essential Plan Enrollment between 2018 and 2019 included Broome County with a 12% increase & Delaware County with a 10% increase.

Governor Cuomo today announced that the New York State Department of Labor has been awarded up to $5.59 million in federal grants to help provide new skills to workers, including new entrants to the workforce, who have been or are being impacted by the opioid crisis. Additionally, the funds will be used for workforce development in professions that address or prevent problems related to opioids across the state, such as addiction treatment service providers, pain management and therapy service providers, and mental health treatment providers. The initiative complements ongoing efforts by the state Health Department and the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse services to train peers in recovery to work with hospitals, assisting individuals with substance use disorder in accessing treatment.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 28-year-old Michael Lor of Schenectady, for DWI, failure to keep right and moving from a lane unsafely, after a traffic stop in the Town of Middletown.  Lor was released & will appear in the Town of Middletown Court at a later date.

A HEALTHCARE JOB FAIR will be held at the FOXCARE Center in Oneonta, tomorrow from 11:00 am to 2:00 PM.  Participants include Bassett Healthcare, Family Planning of South Central NY, UHS Hospitals, The ARC of Delaware County, The ARC of Otsego County, AO Fox Hospital, Pathfinder Village & the State Veteran’s Home in Oxford.

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The Binghamton Devils announced that they have partnered with USA Hockey & the Southern Tier Hockey Association to host a “try hockey free day” on February 23RD At the Broome County Arena.  Parents can register their children for one of 2 time slots on the 23rd, by calling the devils office at 722-7367, more information is also available at binghamtondevils.com

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Visitors can travel back in time Saturday as the Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne hosts a demonstration of ice harvesting on Cunningham Ice Pond.  The event runs from 2:30 and 3:30 pm, it is free and open to the public.

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The Bainbridge Town Hall Theatre & Gallery will Present Blue grass musical act Remington Ryde, who will perform there Saturday night at 7:00 PM.  Tickets can be reserved at 288-3882.

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