State Police, State EnCon Officers, State Forest Rangers, New Berlin Police, Chenango County Sheriff’s Deputies, the Susquehanna SPCA as well as the Office of Emergency Management served a search warrant at properties located on Clark Lane and Pig Farm Lane in the town of New Berlin. Over 2 dozen animals were located deceased and an additional 107 neglected animals were removed, which included horses, swine, cattle, sheep, goats, a llama, plus dogs and cats. The Investigation is continuing.

———————————————————-

Broome County District Attorney’s office announced that 56 year old Daniel Erickson of Greene, pleaded guilty in Broome County Court to Luring a Child, which was the top charge of the Indictment against him. Between June 28, 2023, and July 7, 2023, Erickson communicated with a 16-year-old student through Snapchat, for the purpose of luring the victim into a vehicle with the intention to engage in sexual acts. Broome County Sheriff’s Office Detectives were able to apprehend Erickson before he made any physical contact with the victim. Erickson was fired from his position as a Middle School Principal in the Johnson City School District, he will be sentenced on July 30th to 6 months in jail, followed by 5 years’ of probation supervision, he was ordered to pay restitution to the victim, & he must register as a sex offender to the state’s registry. Erickson will appear back in Broome County Court on May 6th for the purpose of turning himself in to begin serving the jail time.

————————————————————-

The Bainbridge Community Center will be the site for an Open House & Grand Opening Celebration Wednesday Night, Teri Schunk of 4Towns Forward comments:

(Teri Schunk 4-30-24)

More information about renting the facility is available by calling Dolores Nabinger at 607-237-9414.

—————————————————–

Another Red Cross Blood Drive is being held this afternoon in Cooperstown from 1:00 to 6:00 PM at the Clark’s Sports Center. Appointments are encouraged by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS.

A.M. NEWS Tuesday 4-30-24

The Village of Bainbridge Board of Trustees will hold an informational meeting tonight at 6:30 PM in the Bainbridge Town Hall, Mayor Phil Wade explains:

(Phil Wade 4-30-24)

Streets that potentially may be affected are Front, River, North Main, Pruyn, Parsons and Freiot Avenue, tonight The board is seeking comments from all interested parties. Representatives from the solar project will also be present to address any questions or concerns.

———————————————————

CHENTAC presents the 2nd phase of Preventing Targeted Violence in Chenango County at Achieve, 27 Griffin Street, Norwich today from 9:00 am. to 12:00 Noon. Sal Testani of Commerce Chenango comments:

(Sal Testani 4-30-24)

Today’s event is Sponsored by ACHIEVE, Unison-GE, and The Evening Sun, more information is available at 334-1400.

———————————————————–

Broome County Sheriff’s Office arrested 37 year old Scott Hanrahan of Sanford for Criminal Possession of a Weapon, Criminal Possession of an Assault Weapon & Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance. On Saturday Broome County Sheriff’s Road Patrol conducted a traffic stop on Route I-86 West in the Town of Windsor, deputies located cocaine, along with various assault weapons & multiple rounds of ammunition, Hanrahan had previous felony convictions & is facing new charges for illegal weapon and drug possession following the traffic stop. Hanrahan was arraigned at Central Arraignment Part and remains in custody at the Broome County Correctional Facility.

—————————————————-

The Binghamton Police Department arrested 6 people following a shooting at 100 Susquehanna Street on Saturday. Police arrested 20 year old Lamont Weaver of Binghamton with criminal possession of a weapon & reckless endangerment, 25 year old Lytiek Gadson of Binghamton for tampering with physical evidence, 18 year old India Tombs of Binghamton with obstructing governmental administration, 2 underage teenagers were also arrested. Weaver was arraigned and remanded to the Broome County jail, the rest were released & the investigations is continuing.

The Albany Times Union reported that The FBI and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are investigating Governor Cuomo’s handling of nursing homes from the early months of the pandemic in 2020. Subpoenas have been issued, the investigation follows investigations underway by State Attorney General Letitia James, the US Department of Justice & State lawmakers may also conduct an investigation, and minority Republicans in both houses are looking to scale back the Governor’s emergency powers.

———————————————————

New York’s health care distribution sites have administered 96% of first doses of the COVID 19 vaccines received for the first 9 weeks. The week 10 allocation from the federal government is beginning to arrive in the State, Approximately 10 million New Yorkers are currently eligible to receive the vaccine, over 350,000 doses are expected to be shipped each week for the next 3 weeks. The ‘Am I Eligible’ screening tool has been updated for individuals with comorbidities and underlying conditions with new appointments released on a rolling basis over the next weeks.

——————————————————————

For the 2nd straight day, Chenango County Public Health had only 1 case of COVID 19 reported. The number of active cases fell by 5 to 54, there were 14 hospitalized again today, the number quarantined decreased by 11 to 195, the Total Confirmed Cases is 2329.

———————————————————

The Village of Bainbridge has wrapped up work on their Police Reform Committee, Mayor Phil Wade comments:

(Phil Wade 2-18-21)

Wade said that the document can be accessed on the village website.

———————————————————–

Major League Baseball officially released 2021 schedules for Minor League teams. The Binghamton Rumble Ponies will compete in a 120-game season, which will begin on May 4th, and end on September 19th. All home stands will be six games long, The Rumble Ponies first home stand will begin on May 11th at NYSEG Stadium. The Rumble Ponies will compete in the new Double A Northeast league, against many teams that previously played in the Eastern League.

A.M. NEWS Thursday 2-18-21

Governor Cuomo announced that the COVID-19 7-Day positivity rate has declined for the 40th straight day, to 3.66%. On Tuesday there were 6,574 Patient Hospitalizations, 1,273 Patients in the ICU; 854 on ventilators, & 109 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State. 169,963 were tested Tuesday, there are 12 New UK Strain Cases In New York State

————————————————–

Otsego County Health Department reported another COVID 19 death yesterday, with 13 new cases reported, 90 active cases & 9 hospitalized. Otsego County reports 49 total deaths from the virus, 30 of those since January 1st.

————————————————-

Delaware County Public Health reported that another person has died from COVID 19 related complications, the County has had 40 deaths. There were 16 new positives Wednesday out of 394 tested, 23 are hospitalized, 274 are quarantined & there are 138 active cases.

————————————————————–

The Sidney Central School District reported that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, the staff member has not been on campus since Thursday, February 11th. The Delaware County Health Department has conducted an investigation and the contact tracing has been completed. There will be no change to the instructional model at this time.

————————————————————–

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce will hold their Free 3rd Thursday ZOOM event starting at 8:30 this morning. The featured speaker for this event is State Senator Peter Oberacker for those who pre-registered.

————————————————————

(Cuomo 2-2-21)

The state was getting up to 300,000 vaccines, with 7.1 million New Yorkers eligible to get vaccinated. The state Health Department reported that in spite of Monday’s snow, over 150,000 people were tested for COVID with 5.47% testing positive.  There were still just over 8000 hospitalized, 1500 in an ICU bed & 1004 on Ventilators; there were 146 deaths from the virus Monday.

—————————————————–

There has been another delay in finding out who actually won the 22nd Congressional District between recent incumbent Democrat Anthony Brindisi, and the previous Congressional representative, Republican Claudia Tenney.  State Supreme Court Justice Scott Delconte ordered all counties involved in the race to certify their votes this week, however there were problems with Oneida County, yesterday, Brindisi filed a motion for a new recount following differences in vote counts throughout the process since Election Day.

————————————————————–

Local government sales tax collections declined by 10 percent overall in 2020, or $1.8 billion, compared to the previous year, according to a report issued today by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. This decline was steeper than the drop during the Great Recession, when local sales tax collections fell 6 percent statewide in 2009 compared to 2008.  DiNapoli’s report also found that County sales tax collections decreased by 0.9 percent outside of New York City, Delaware County had the largest year-over-year increase at 10.7%, followed by Oswego at 10.5% and Westchester at 9.8%.

——————————————————

Residents in the Village of Bainbridge have until the end of the businesses day Wednesday to give Public Comment on the Village Police Department Reform proposal, Bainbridge Mayor Phil Wade told WCDO News that it was largely a successful 7 positive project:

(Phil Wade 2-2-21)

Municipalities with Police Department have until April 1st to submit their approved Police Reforms to the state, or risk State Aid.

——————————————————–

Chenango County Public Health reported 9 new cases of COVID 19 today, with 147 active cases, 449 quarantined & 21 hospitalized.  They also reported that they received 200 doses of the COVID Vaccine this week; they have administered over 800 doses so far.  County residents should go to the state “Am I Eligible App or go to the am-i-eligible.COVID19vaccine.health.ny.gov website.

———————————————–

Otsego County Health Department reported 1 new death from COVID 19, 12 new cases were reported Monday, and they have 146 active cases & 14 hospitalized.  Otsego County has had 742 new cases since the beginning of the year with 10 deaths; most of those cases have been attributed to holiday social gatherings.

——————————————————–

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced legislation that would invest billions in public school infrastructure and help cash-strapped school districts safely reopen under CDC guidelines. Gillibrand explained during a ZOOM press conference this afternoon:

(Gillibrand 2-2-21)

The Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2021 would invest more than $100 billion in grant funding to schools with facilities that pose health and safety risks to students and staff, allocate funding for updates to combat the spread of COVID-19, and expand access to reliable, high-speed broadband to continue digital learning.

Delaware County Public Health reported only 4 positive COVID tests Monday out of 197 tested, for about 2% positivity rate.  The County reports 18 hospitalized, 246 quarantined & 101 total active cases.

———————————————————

State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker addressed the report released Thursday by State Attorney General Letitia James that implied that the state health department undercounted the number of Deaths in Nursing homes from COVID 19:

(Zucker 1-29-21)

Governor Cuomo said that the federal & state health officials did everything they could to manage the COVID 19 crisis since it began last spring:

(Cuomo 1-29-21)

The Governor announced during his briefing today that the positivity rate for COVID tests performed Thursday went below 5% for the 1st time since Thanksgiving week, the number of those hospitalized went down by 160 to 8357, and there were 151 COVID deaths Thursday.

————————————————–

Chenango County Public Health reported another death from COVID 19 today, bringing the number up to 39 since the pandemic began.  Chenango County has 17 hospitalized, 187 active cases, 507 are quarantined; they have had 2001 total cases, with 1762 recoveries.

—————————————————-

Chenango County, like many other counties, has experienced a rise in COVID 19 deaths, and Chenango County Director of Public Facilities Julie Gates was asked if she could put something together to remember those lost to COVID 19, she told WCDO News what has been decided:

(Julie Gates 1-29-21)

Gates said that in February & March, the lighted ribbon will be displayed on the county Office Building at 5 Court Street in Norwich.

——————————————

Local Communities are wrapping up their work on their Police Reform & Collaboration Committees, in order to submit their plans to the state in the coming months, Sidney Mayor Andy Matviak comments:

(Andy Matviak 1-29-21)

Bainbridge Mayor Phil Wade also comments about their efforts:

(Phil Wade 1-29-21)

Communities with police departments were tasked with reforming their police departments, if they deemed that necessary, and they have to submit their plans to the state by April 1st or risk losing State aid.

A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 1-29-21

State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker responded to Attorney General Letitia James report & said that there was no undercount of the total death toll in hospitals and nursing homes.   Zucker said that the Department of Health reported the number of fatalities within hospitals regardless of the residence of the patient,  The word “undercount” wrongly implies more total fatalities than have been reported.  The Attorney General’s initial findings of wrongdoing by certain nursing home operators is why his Department asked for the Attorney General to investigate & they will continue to work with the Attorney General,  Zucker said that the report’s findings that nursing home operators failed to comply with the State’s infection control protocols are consistent with his Departments own investigation.

—————————————————————————————-

Governor Cuomo recently announced that effective February 1st, participants in higher-risk sports may participate in individual or distanced group training and organized no or low-contact group training, competitions and tournaments.  Delaware County Public Health is advising school districts that they cannot resume high-risk winter sports until the Delaware County’s 7-day rolling positivity for coronavirus is at or below 4% & activities must be restricted to individual or distanced group training or organized no or low-contact group training. Delaware County’s rolling 7-day positivity is 5.9% as of Thursday; they reported 10 new COVID cases, with 17 hospitalized, 147 active cases & 319 quarantined.

———————————————————

Governor Cuomo held a COVID briefing today in Albany; he said that a meeting with President Biden by the national Board of Governors brought the states the news of some relief:

(Cuomo 1-27-21)

Cuomo said that the President also announced a 16% increase in COVID vaccines coming to the state, bringing New York’s Numbers closer to 300,000 a week.

—————————————————————–

The State Health Department is keeping up with their schedule of COVID testing around the state; with over 202,000 tested Tuesday, just over 11,000 were positive, the positivity rate is down to 5.4%.  Hospitalization declined to 8771, there are 1588 in an ICU Bed, & 1027 are on ventilators, there were 170 deaths Tuesday from the virus.

———————————————————

Chenango County Public Health confirmed 2 more COVID19 related deaths, bringing the County’s toll to 37.  Chenango County officials reported 180 Active Cases, with 18 hospitalized & 531 Quarantined. 

——————————————————————

Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond announced that the Sheriff’s Office has received grant funding through the Chenango Health Network that will help train emergency services personnel, law enforcement & others to identify persons with a mental disorder and employ crisis de-escalation techniques:

(Sheriff DuMond 1-27-21)

The trainings will be provided by Chenango Health Network, the funding will cover the next 5 years.

——————————————————-

Spring 2021 classes began remotely at SUNY Oneonta this week, and the college has put a comprehensive plan with input from students, faculty, staff, public health experts, community leaders and elected officials, for a safe semester. SUNY Oneonta Acting President Dennis Craig told WCDO News about the plan:

(Dennis Craig 1-27-21)

President Craig said that over 1,500 students registered for at least one in-person class. About 650 students have opted to live in residence halls this semester, while housing capacity on campus is more than 3,600.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 1-27-21

Delaware County Public Health reported 2 new cases of COVID Tuesday, they report 21 hospitalized, 166 active cases and 348 quarantined & they reported 3 more deaths, the county has had 35 deaths since the spring.

————————————————————

The State Labor Department released Unemployment rates for local counties for the month of December.  Locally, Chenango County had 5.6% Delaware County 5.6% and Otsego County 5.8%, the state wide rate was 8.2% in December.

—————————————————————-

The Village of Bainbridge will present the Village’s Police Reform Commission report for Public Comment through a ZOOM Meeting Tonight, Bainbridge Mayor Phil Wade Comments:

(Phil Wade 1-27-21)

The ZOOM link is available for tonight’s meeting on the VillageofBainbridge.org website; the meeting will be from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

————————————————————-

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced that no new players were voted in Tuesday, but they could still have a ceremony in July, depending on the COVID situation.  Last Year’s inductees, Derek Jeter and Larry Walker had their ceremonies postponed because of the pandemic, but would be honored this year.

————————————————————-

The Village of Sidney crews discovered a Water Main Break at about 4:30 this morning, located near Valley View Drive.  Sidney Water customers along State Route 8 near Guilford will have their water service interrupted during the repairs, they hope to have the repairs completed by about 12:00 Noon today.

————————————————————–

The supply of Vaccines coming from the federal government has been consistently around 250,000 a week to New York State over the last few weeks; Governor Cuomo said that those who received their first dose will get their second dose:

(Cuomo 1-25-21)

The State tested over 219,000 people Sunday with 12,008 positive tests, which was about 5.5% of all tested.  Hospitalization went back up slightly to 8730, ICU Patients went up slightly to 1522 and the number on Ventilators went back up to 1005, there were 161 COVID deaths Sunday.

————————————————————

Delaware County Public Health held its’ first COVID-19 vaccine clinic last Thursday, vaccinating people from group 1B. People who received the first dose of vaccine must return to same location to receive the second dose. Employers in Delaware County seeking COVID-19 vaccinations for their staff that are listed in Phase 1B can email their contact information to Delaware County Public Health at dcph@co.delaware.ny.us.

——————————————————-

Chenango County Public Health released their latest COVID numbers this morning; they report 239 active cases, 22 are hospitalized, there are 647 quarantined.

——————————————————

Otsego County Department of Health reported 21 new cases of COVID Sunday, with 256 Active cases, 18 hospitalized & 1 new death. 

——————————————————-

The Village of Bainbridge will present the Village’s Police Reform Commission report for Public Comment through a ZOOM Meeting This Wednesday night.  Bainbridge Mayor Phil wade explains:

(Phil Wade 1-25-21)

The ZOOM link is available for the Wednesday Night meeting on the VillageofBainbridge.org website; the meeting will be from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

————————————————————-

The Barstool Fund has been set up by Barstool Sports.com, to raise money for small businesses struggling to survive due to the pandemic.  Locally, Interskate 88 in Oneonta received substantial funding, owner Eric Nelson comments:

(Eric Nelson 1-25-21)

More information about contributing to the fund to help small businesses or what other small businesses received funds, go to barstoolsports.com.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 1-25-21

The total week 6 federal allocation of vaccine delivery to providers was completed over the weekend.  New York’s health care distribution sites have received 1,304,050 first doses and administered 88% or 1,144,000 first dose vaccinations.  Delivery of the week 7 allocation from the federal government does not begin until the middle of this week.

————————————————–

Delaware County Public Health reported 29 new cases Friday, 13 new COVID cases Saturday, & 18 news cases Sunday, with 160 active cases, 20 hospitalizations & 367 are quarantined.

—————————————————————-

The Sidney central School district was notified that 2 6th grade students have tested positive for COVID-19. The last time the students were on campus was Tuesday, January 19th.  The Delaware County Health Department has conducted an investigation and the contact tracing has been completed. There will be no change to the instructional model.

—————————————————————-

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras joined SUNY Oneonta Acting President Dennis Craig Sunday to reopen campus for the spring semester.   On Sunday, students moved back to campus housing for pre-semester COVID testing and quarantining before the Spring Semester start date of in-person classes of February 1st.  The SUNY system has announced it will be increasing the frequency of mandatory COVID-19 testing at schools.  All students, staff, and faculty who frequent the campuses will be tested weekly for the start of the semester, prior to the start of in-person classes, there will be mandatory mask-wearing & there will be no Spring Break this semester.

————————————————-

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office reported that 2 people were indicted following an investigation into the death of a 23-year-old Kayla Kunkel, who was on the autism spectrum. 56-year-old Renee Kunkel and 61-year-old Edward Kunkel were indicted for 2nd degree manslaughter, Endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, & endangering the welfare of a child. Deputies & EMS responded to 40 Theresa Blvd in the town of Chenango for the report of a person not breathing, they found Kayla Kunkel and performed CPR, before she was taken to Wilson Hospital, where she later died. The investigation determined Kayla Kunkel was not capable of caring for herself and her death was from “inadequate guardianship.” 2 other children were living in the residence, in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

The Chenango County Board of Elections announced that a hacker attack against their computer system has raised concerns that some emailed absentee ballot applications may not be processed. The Chenango Board of Elections has advised anyone who emailed an absentee ballot application after Oct. 15 to call 337-1760 to verify that it had been received. The Computers are being repaired & the State Board of elections believes the issue will not affect the election results.

The Sidney Police Department responded to a fight in progress call on Smith Street in the Village of Sidney. Officers located the victim lying on the sidewalk being tended to by local residents. Officers located 23 year old John Rathbun of Sidney at the scene; he was arrested and charged with harassment, aggravated harassment, criminal mischief & Criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation. Rathbun was arraigned in the Village of Sidney Court where a temporary order of protection was issued on behalf of the victim, he was released on an appearance ticket, At 7:50 PM Monday, Rathbun was found to be in violation of the temporary order of protection, he was then charged with Criminal contempt, he was arraigned virtually, & was again released & was ordered to appear in court at a later date.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies performed a traffic-stop on River Street in the Village of Sidney last Thursday night; they arrested 33 year old Carmine DeClemente of Sidney for unlawful possession of marijuana & operating a vehicle without a headlight. Deputies seized an undisclosed amount of marijuana from the vehicle; DeClemente was issued an appearance ticket for the Village of Sidney Court on a later date to answer the charges.

Commerce Chenango’s annual fundraising Auction will be a virtual one this year, starting on November 6th. Commerce Chenango President & CEO Kerri Green explains:

(Kerri Green 10-27-20)

The live Auction will be held November 12th at 7:00 PM, at 32auctions.com/commerce Chenango.

The Village of Bainbridge announced their Halloween schedule this Saturday, Village Mayor Phil Wade explains:

(Phil Wade 10-27-20)

Mayor Wade suggested that trick or treaters avoid State Route 206 this year due to the construction project.

=====================================================

A.M. NEWS Tuesday 10-27-20

Nicolas Meridy was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison in Otsego County Court Monday. Meridy was 1 of 4 people charged in the death of 53 year old Kenneth Robinson of Worcester, he pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree murder in August, in a plea bargain deal. 53-year-old Kenneth Robinson was shot and killed while being robbed in his Worcester home in October of 2019, his home was set on fire, 1 of those arrested was Robinson’s son, Dylan Robinson, others arrested were 15-year-old Anias Soto, 16-year-old Alexander Borgreen for murder and burglary, 16-year-old Alexi Lottermann was charged with burglary.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies responded Thursday to a disturbance at the Masonville Mirabito convenience store. 67-year-old Edward Sherman of Masonville was operating a motor vehicle while his driving privileges were revoked & that he had been operating an unregistered, uninspected, and uninsured motor vehicle. Sherman was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, among other similar charges, he was released and directed to appear in the Town of Masonville Court on a later date.

Otsego County Department of Health reported Monday that they had 6 more cases of COVID 19. Since October 1, 2020 84 cases have been reported, 35 have been in college students & 49 in county residents. Of those 49 cases 25 have been linked to 2 separate weddings. 7 cases have been associated with the first wedding and 18 cases with the most recent wedding. Otsego County has had 981 total confirmed cases, there are 39 active cases, 1 hospitalization, 7 deaths, 751 cases are linked to SUNY Oneonta, and 30 confirmed cases in Hartwick College students.

Delaware County reported 2 new cases of COVID-19 Monday & 1 death. The number of active cases is now 15. To date there have been 157 confirmed positive cases, with 119 people under mandatory quarantine, 11 people are at home and 4 people are in a hospital, 9 people have died and 133 have fully recovered.

————————————————-

Governor Cuomo announced 221 new cases of COVID-19 in New York, bringing the statewide total to 950, 1 New York City Department of Corrections officer has died from the Coronavirus, bring the state death count to 4.  The governor also announced a tri-state effort to curb the spread of the virus.  Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont today announced that they will limit crowd capacity for social and recreational gatherings to 50 people, also restaurants and bars will close for on premise service and will have take-out and delivery services only, they also will be provided a waiver for carry-out alcohol.   The 3 governors will temporarily close movie theaters, gyms and casinos, all of these restrictions go into effect at 8:00 PM tonight.

————————————————–

Bassett Healthcare announced that their network is gearing up to take on the Coronavirus issue, which is something that is larger than anything they have dealt with before according to Dr. William Streck:

(Dr. William Streck 3-16-20

Bassett Hospital has launched a hotline for people who have questions or concerns about Coronavirus.  The number is 547-5555; it will provide patients with up-to-date information 24/7 on the Coronavirus and tell patients what to do if they are concerned they are showing symptoms.

—————————————————-

State lawmakers are still in Albany this week, trying to wrap up the State budget early, Assemblyman Cliff Crouch Comments:

(Crouch 3-16-20)

2 members of the State Assembly, Helene Weinstein & Charles Barron, both of Brooklyn, have tested positive for the Coronavirus.  The state Capital will be closed to visitors & all legislative buildings will be vigorously cleaned.

—————————————

19th District Congressman Antonio Delgado announced today that he will have to close his offices in Washington DC and in his home district.  Public meeting & Town Halls will also be postponed.  More information is available at Delgado.house.gov.

——————————-

State Senator Fred Akshar announced that he is postponing his March 18th Town Hall Meeting in Vestal. Decisions will be made regarding other public meetings at a later date.

———————————————–

The Town of Unadilla announced that they are closing the Town Hall until further notice due to the Coronavirus situation.  All court session are cancelled, any court payments can be made online, can be mailed or put in the drop box outside, Dog License & Handicapped applications can be mailed, the date for Dog Enumeration will be extended until the end of Aprils, and Tax payments may be mailed or put in the drop box. More information is available at 369-4922 or by email: unadillaclerk@stny.rr.com

————————————————-

The Sidney Town Clerk’s office announced that they will be closed to the public for 2 weeks due to the ongoing COVID-19 concerns.  Town Clerk Sheila Paul announced that she will continue to work, all payments, dog licenses, handicap placard applications, and any other services needed from the Town Clerk’s Office may be sent by mail or left in the drop box at the Town Office.  More information is available at 561-2334, 237-6394 or by Email: Clerk@townofsidney.com

———————————————

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced that they are closed to the public, in accordance with recommendations by the CDC to limit opportunities for large gatherings and the further spread of the COVID-19 virus. The Hall of Fame will provide updated information regarding this closure on each subsequent Sunday, at baseballhall.org and by social media channels.  As a precautionary measure due to the COVID-19 virus, our 2020 Hall of Fame Classic Weekend events have been canceled.

—————————————————-

The State DEC announced that the statewide ban prohibiting residential brush burning begins today and runs through May 14th, as conditions for wildfires are heightened in springtime.  When temperatures are warmer and the past fall’s debris and leaves dry out, wildfires can start and spread easily and be further fueled by winds and a lack of green vegetation.  More information is available at dec.ny.gov.

==============================

Governor Cuomo announced that the statewide total of coronavirus cases has increased to 729, and 3 deaths have been confirmed.  The deaths were an 88 year old woman in Brooklyn with emphysema, and a 65 year old man with many health problems & a 79 year old female with many serious illnesses.  Governor Cuomo said that they are working on a plan regarding schools; he said that closing all schools brings up other issues:

(Cuomo 3-16-20)

Cuomo said that they are working to increase testing for the Corona Virus rapidly, they are trying to convince more businesses to have employees work from home, and they are trying to increase hospital capabilities rapidly.

——————————————————————

Delaware County Officials have declared a State of Emergency effective through Monday April 13, 2020.  The order calls for the suspension of all classroom and extracurricular functions at all public schools, except for administrative and staff functions, the Order shall take effect Wednesday, March 18th & will remain in effect until April 14th.  Also, the Delaware County Office for the Aging Senior Meal sites and Senior Transit have stopped operations until April 14th.

—————————————————————

Chenango County Officials announced Sunday afternoon that they have issued a State of Emergency.   Chenango County Schools will be closed Monday, but staff must report. The state of Emergency will require all county schools to close from Wednesday, through April 14th.  Unadilla Valley & Oxford Academy announced that they will close Monday & will remain closed Tuesday & then through April 14th.

——————————————–

The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office announced that due to the increased cases of the Coronavirus, all visitation and programs at the Delaware County Correctional Facility will be suspended until further notice. More information is available at 832-5607.

——————————————

All Otsego, Schoharie, Broome & Tioga County Schools will be closed starting today.  Many Delaware & Chenango County Schools will be closed today for students, but staff members must report, decisions on Tuesday for some of those schools have not been made, more information will be posted on each school’s website.

—————————–

Several Area Officials met Friday to decide how to handle the Coronavirus issue locally, Bainbridge Mayor Phil Wade comments:

(Phil Wade 3-16-20)

Wade said that those who would like to sign up for the Bainbridge, Sidney or Unadilla Email blasts known as Small Town Connects, should contact the village offices to sign up.

————————————————————–

——————————————————————–

Lawmakers are waiting for some action on any of the proposal regarding the controversial Bail Reform Law that went into effect January 1st, Assemblyman Cliff Crouch comments:

(Cliff Crouch 1-30-20)

The controversial law went into effect as part of a budget bill last year, it calls for people arrested on over 400 charges to be automatically released from the initial court appearance on an appearance ticket, several instances have already occurred where someone was released & almost immediately committed another crime.

——————————————–

Local Mayors Andy Matviak of Sidney, Phil Wade of Bainbridge and Dave Welch of Unadilla have been meeting monthly for about the last year, one of the issues they have dealt with is how to get legal notices & other information out following the demise of the Tri Town News, and they have decided to send out an email blast together, Unadilla Mayor Dave Welch commented:

(Dave Welch 1-30-20)

Resident that want to get the email blast most contact their village offices to submit their email address, each Email blast will come out Thursdays to those who have subscribed.  WCDO will broadcast our interview with the 3 Mayors Tuesday evening following the 6:00 PM news.

————————————————

Jury deliberations are scheduled to begin today in the trial of 33 year old Gabriel Pruitt of Oneonta.  Pruitt is charged with Arson & Murder in connection with a fire at 5 walling Avenue on December 29th of 2018, former Oneonta Firefighter John Heller died while getting his family out of the burning building.

—————————————————

A lawsuit has been filed in State Supreme Court against the Town Of Guilford, for their controversial renewable energy law, that would allow Calpine to erect up to 30 large wind turbines in the town.  A coalition of residents from Guilford & the adjacent town of Unadilla filed the lawsuit January 24th.

————————————————-

Governor Cuomo announced legislation in the proposed Executive Budget that grants the State Police Superintendent the right to issue administrative subpoenas as a way empower the State Police to investigate internet crimes against children. This new power will enable the State Police to move quickly to identify and locate persons suspected of online sexual exploitation of minors by streamlining the subpoena process necessary to obtain their online records.

———————————————–

The Tri-Town Coalition on Substance Abuse Prevention will hold their next meeting this evening in Sidney.   The meeting will be held at the Sidney Public Library Smart Community Room from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM

—————————————————————-

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 22-Year-Old Siara Mettler of Hamden on a charge of Aggravated Unlicensed Operator, Unlicensed Operator, and Uninspected Motor Vehicle. Mettler was later released on traffic tickets, and is scheduled to appear in the Walton Town Court at a later date to answer the charge.

———————————————————-