The Sidney Chamber of Commerce Is planning “Hometown Day” on June 10th, which will begin with the SFCU parade, followed by events in Keith Clark park, Sidney Chamber President Teri Schunk explains:

(Teri Schunk 6-8-23)

The parade will begin lining up at 11:00, after the parade, all of the events mentioned will be at Keith Clark Park on River Street in Sidney.

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The smoke from the Quebec wildfires has lessened somewhat today, local Meteorologist Rich Townsend explains:

(Rich Townsend 6-8-23)

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that she is pushing for federal assistance with the Canadian fires & for upgrading equipment to deal with these situations:

(Gillibrand 6-8-23)

The smoke has reached into the Carolina’s as well as shifting to the West in Canada and in the US today, the Canadian government has not indicated when they will have the fires under control.

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies initiated a traffic stop Wednesday on State Highway 10 in the Town of Hamden after observing a vehicle driving erratically, and passing multiple vehicles on the roadway. Deputies identified the driver as 26-year-old, Kyle Buckley, of Walton, Buckley’s driver’s license had been suspended for failure to answer a summons on 3 separate dates. Buckley was charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operator & improper passing, he was released on the traffic tickets and is directed to appear in the Town of Hamden Court at a later date to answer the said charges.

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Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that her administration has reached contract agreements with the New York State Public Employees Federation and with the United University Professions. The agreement with PEF is for a three-year term running until April 1, 2026 for more than 51,000 New York State employees in a in a wide variety of professional, scientific and technical titles. The agreement with UUP is for a four-year term running until July 1, 2026 for more than 37,000 SUNY system faculty and professional employees. Both agreements are subject to ratification by union membership.

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The largest statewide Special Olympics New York competition of the year is coming to Ithaca this weekend. More than 800 athletes and coaches from throughout New York will be in the area for State Summer Games, with competition in 7 sports: Basketball, Bowling, Gymnastics, Powerlifting, Swimming, Tennis and Track & Field, with festivities beginning Friday at 7:00 PM, with the closing ceremonies Saturday night.

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A.M. NEWS THURSDAY 6-8-23

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has sued 30 upstate New York municipalities for enacting emergency orders barring migrants form hotels, motels & apartment complexes. Local Counties that were sued include Broome, Delaware, Otsego & Schoharie Counties

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Hospice & Palliative care of Chenango County will hold their annual Service of Remembrance event today, Grief Services Coordinator, Jordyn Andrews explains:

(Jordyn Andrews 6-8-23)

Andrews said that the program is scheduled to be outside of their offices on Court Street in Norwich, but will be moved inside in case of inclement weather

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The Broome County Sheriff’s Office is currently looking for Robert Schrauger on an outstanding warrant and asking the residents of Broome County for assistance, he is described as a white male, bald about 5’4″ 150 pounds, he is wanted for a Sex Offender Registration violation and for failing to report to a parole officer. Anyone with information on the location of Schrauger is asked to contact the Broome County Sheriff’s Office at gobroomecounty.com/sheriff/warrants or at (607) 778-1196.

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Otsego County Sheriff’s Office announced a child seat safety check will be held in Oneonta Today. The event runs from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at 762 state Highway 28. more information is available at 547-4230.

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State Police have updated their reports on the locating of 2 deceased people in a house in the town of Union last Wednesday.  The investigation has revealed that 49 year old Marc McKercher killed 48 year old Cynthia Pratt-Lyons & then took his own life.  The 2 were found deceased by State Police, Broome County Sheriff’s Deputies & members of the Endwell Fire Department after they were dispatched to check on the welfare of a resident at a house on Hall Street.

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Governor Cuomo announced that starting tomorrow at 8:00 AM, New Yorkers 50 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the COVID 19 vaccine.   More than 1.65 million doses have been administered through New York mass vaccination sites and FEMA sites to date. Delivery of the week 15 allocation begins mid-week.  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.

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Chenango County Public Health reports 42 new COVID cases since Friday’s report.  They have 90 Active Cases, 313 Active Quarantines & 8 hospitalizations, they have had 2651 Total Confirmed Cases with 2402 Recoveries & 64 deaths.

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The Sidney Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Plan final Zoom Committee meeting will be held this Wednesday night at 6:00 PM, and is open to the public, Committee Chairperson Sheri Youngs Commented:

(Sheri Youngs 3-22-21)

The link to the Zoom meeting is available at villageofsidney.org; the plan will be submitted to the state for approval before the April 1st deadline

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Office arrested 35 year old Natasha Mason of Walton on a Bench Warrant after she failed to appear for arraignment for Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child in the Vehicle, Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Insufficient Head Lamps.  Mason was arraigned by in Delaware County Court and was remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility on $1,000 cash bail or $5,000 bail bond pending her appearance in Delaware County Court on a later date.

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Binghamton Firefighters responded Sunday Morning to a fire at an apartment house at 59 Main Street.  The fire was reported at about 11:40 Sunday Morning, 1 occupant was taken to an area hospital for smoke inhalation, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 3-22-21

Otsego County Sheriff’s Office arrested 19 year old Anthony Kandalepas of Chesapeake, Virginia & a 17 year old juvenile from Jacksonville, Florida for Criminal Possession of a Weapon & Criminal Possession of Stolen Property.  Deputies responded to a report of a vehicle disabled in The Town of Milford, which was reported stolen out of Jacksonville.  A search led to the discovery of a loaded unregistered handgun, drug paraphernalia and other stolen items.  The juveniles were reported missing, the 17 year old was released into the custody of his parents, and the 14-year-old juvenile was released into the custody of Otsego County Child Protective Services.  Kandalepas was arraigned and remanded to the Otsego County Correctional Facility on $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. U.S. Department of Homeland Security is assisting with the investigation and additional charges may be pending.

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The State Health Department reported that over 246,000 COVID tests were conducted Saturday with over 7900 positives, or about 3.2% of all tested.  Hospitalizations were down to 4,355, the lowest since December 3rd, the number in an ICU bed was down to 890 & the number on ventilators was down to 572. There were 54 COVID deaths Saturday.  The Department also reported the discovery of the first case of a COVID-19 P1 variant, or Brazilian variant, in a 90 year old Brooklyn resident with no travel history.

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Delaware County Public Health announced a 45th death from the COVID 19 virus.  The County reported 23 new cases Friday. Out of 260 tested, with 7 hospitalized, 125 active cases & 310 quarantined. 

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State Police arrested 35 year old Joseph McCabe of Binghamton for Criminal Impersonation, McCabe allegedly falsely identified himself as a Court investigator in Kirkwood on February 23rd, and he was arrested & was processed and released on an appearance ticket to the town of Kirkwood court on March 31st.

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State Police are looking for the public’s assistance a White GMC Sierra Pickup Truck that was involved in an incident in the village of Afton Friday night at about 5:55 PM.  State Police reported that decals on the truck say “handyman” on the tailgate have a red background and the writing is in black, there are also two phone numbers on the decal with a 315 area code, the pickup truck was last seen traveling north on State Highway 41 in the village of Afton, a white male in his 40’s with a beard and dark jacket was driving.  Anyone with information is asked to contact State Police at Sidney at 561-7400.

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NYSEG Officials are urging customers to be vigilant of scammers posing as representatives of the energy company, after they received reports of customers having accepted calls from people who claim to be “consultants” with a corresponding forged caller ID; sometimes the caller threatens customers with termination if they don’t call a prepaid debit card such as ‘Green Dot”.  Any customer who is uncertain whether a call is genuine should hang up and call NYSEG at the number listed on the bill or on the company’s website.

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A New York State Appeals Court has upheld the Murder Conviction  of Nigel Saunders for the murder of Jordan Dordell in Binghamton in November of 2013.  Saunders & Julian Talamantez were convicted in Broome County court for the Dordell killing, Saunders will continue to serve his 25 years to life sentence following the failure of his appeal.

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The Broome County Sheriff’s Office is currently looking for Jordan Hawk on an outstanding warrant, he is known to frequent the Anne Road area in the Town of Windsor,   he is described as a White Male, 5’5″ about 130 pounds with Brown hair & brown eyes, he is wanted on a violation of parole for criminal possession of a weapon.  Anyone with information on Jordan Hawk is asked to contact the Broome County Sheriff’s Office at gobroomecounty.com/sheriff/warrants, or by calling 778-1196.

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The Annual Delaware County Clean Sweep gets underway tomorrow.  Farms & Small businesses will bring their materials Friday, followed by households on Saturday at the designated time & place, for those who preregistered online of by phone.

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A Census Bureau Representative will be at the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce office at 189 Main Street in Oneonta Friday afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, to assist with the online application and to answer any questions for anyone interested in getting information for the 2020 census.   The  Census Bureau is seeking thousands of people to assist with the 2020 Census count and they are actively recruiting for Census Listers and Census Field Supervisors.  No experience or education is required, more information is available at 2020census.gov. 

Governor Cuomo signed legislation restricting non-profit corporations from participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of or against a candidate running for public office. The measure codifies the federal restriction on non-profit corporations participating or intervening in political campaigns, also known as the Johnson Amendment.     In June 2018, the Attorney General filed a civil complaint alleging that the Donald J. Trump Foundation had violated the Johnson Amendment’s prohibition on providing support to candidates in office which resulted in the Foundation’s dissolution.

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Chenango County Public Health  will hold an informational public meeting regarding the hazards of Vaping, Public Health Director Darlene Gramstad told WCDO News that Dr. Scott Cohen will give the presentation:

(Darlene Gramstad 10-24-19)

More information is available at 337-1660, the presentation will be held at the SUNY Morrisville Campus in Downtown Norwich today from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM and 5:30 to 6:30 PM.

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Hartwick College Athletics will host the annual ’Wick Benefit Auction from 6:00 to 9:00 PM today at the Carriage House Event Center, 790 South Side Drive, in Oneonta. Admission is $50 per person; $90 per couple. Proceeds from the event will benefit the College’s athletics program and enhance the scholar-athlete experience.  The event raises more than $40,000 each year for Hartwick College Athletics.

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State Police and the DOT are continuing “Operation Hardhat,” as they try to crack down on work zone violations and promote safe driving through active work zones on state highways.  State Trooper are patrolling active work zones on I-81 in Broome and Route 17 in Tioga County; on Wednesday troopers issued 21 tickets in the I-81 work zone on Interstate 81 in Broome County, 16 were cell phone tickets, 2 for the Move Over Law, 2 for Moving From a Lane Unsafely & 1 for a seat belt violation.

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Governor Cuomo today signed Erin’s Law on to New York’s books today.  The law requires public schools to teach age appropriate child sexual abuse and exploitation prevention classes to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Erin’s Law is named for Erin Merryn, who is an abuse survivor and activist against child sexual abuse, the law will take effect on July 1, 2020.

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The Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual “Bainbridge Day” this Saturday with a variety of events around the village, spokesperson Lori McGraw explains:

(Lori McGraw 8-31-19)

The event runs from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM this Saturday throughout the village of Bainbridge.  More information is available at 967-8700 or on the Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.

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Governor Cuomo signed a new law designed to spare victims of domestic violence some penalties on some of their utility bills.  The law allows people fleeing their batterers to terminate multi-year telephone or cable contracts at the home they’re leaving without paying a penalty; it covers victims who have received an order of protection.  The law takes effect immediately.

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The Broome County Sherriff’s Office is warning people about a new phone scam where people posing as law enforcement.  Victims are receiving calls from a caller claiming to be a deputy & that the victim missed a jury duty assignment and needs to complete paperwork and pay a fine to avoid being arrested.  The caller requests the victim to meet in the parking lot of the Sherriff’s office and wait there to pay the fine.  The Sherriff’s department does not collect fines and official transactions are processed inside their office.  Anyone who has received this call should report it to 778-1191, extension 1.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is dropping out of the presidential race, after she failed to make the cut for the next Democratic candidate’s debate next month in Houston. Gillibrand announced her decision on Twitter also after low poll numbers and difficulty in raising funds.  Gillibrand was appointed to the Senate in 2009 to fill the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, after she had served this region in the U.S House of Representatives.

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The Bainbridge Old Time Band will have their final performance of the free concerts in the park series this evening.  The concert will start at 7:00 PM at the Bainbridge Village Green Park.

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(John Harmon 5-3-18)

Harmon said that the Regatta activities will run from Friday May 25th, through Memorial Day Monday May 28th.
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A new survey from Quinnipiac University has Governor Cuomo leading actress Cynthia Nixon by a 50% to 28% margin. The poll also has Cuomo with a comfortable lead over the likely Republican nominee, Marcus Molinaro by a 57 to 26% margin.
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Construction is underway in the town of Franklin, where a roundabout is being placed at the intersection of State Route 357 & 28. The construction is expected to be completed by the end of November, Traffic at the North Franklin intersection of Route 357 and Route 28 will be controlled by flaggers with a daily lane closure and alternating traffic, while work is being done between 7:00AM & 5:30 PM, and after work is done for the day, the area will be reopened to two lanes of traffic.
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Firefighters from Walton, Trout Creek & Delhi responded to a fire at an apartment building at 12 Bruce Street in Walton last night. All residents were evacuated, no injuries were reported, the investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.
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The Broome County Sheriff’s Department announced that they will co-host a discussion regarding the issues surrounding marijuana legalization, and Tuesday May 8th at the Forum Theater in Binghamton. The discussion will run from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, the guest speaker will be Jodi Hensley, a Massachusetts based activist on illegal drug issues.
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Oneonta Officials announced that the Fabulous Friday event scheduled for tomorrow evening has been moved to May 18th. Some of the indoor events will go on as scheduled, the car cruise in is cancelled due to the expected rain & thunderstorms.
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The State Public Service Commission has started legal action against Spectrum Cable for potential violations of its franchise agreement. The State approved Spectrum’s acquisition of Time Warner and its ability to operate in New York based on the fulfillment of certain obligations, which included providing broadband access to underserved parts of the State and maintaining its workforce.
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The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce is holding their 2018 Annual Dinner & Celebration of Business today at 5:45 PM at the Foothills Performing Arts center in Oneonta. The Chamber will be Honoring NBT Bank as the Distinguished Business of the Year, & the late Eugene Bettiol Sr., as the Distinguished Citizen Award winner, which was named in his honor.
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The Bainbridge-Guilford Central School will hold a Board of Education Meeting today in the Guilford Elementary School Cafeteria at 6:30 PM. The business portion of the meeting will start at 7:00 PM.
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(Bill Youngs 10-11-17)

Tickets for the Taste of New York event and the Gilbert Gottfried show are available at 431-2080 or foothillspac.org.
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The Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce will honor their annual winners of the Citizen of the Year & Business of the Year Awards. This year’s Citizen of the Year is June White, who has been involved in many area events in Bainbridge:

(June White 9-27-17)

The Business of the Year is Snips & Snails Consignment shop, owned by Lori McGraw:

(Lori McGraw 10-27-17)

The annual dinner & awards ceremony will be held at the Sundown Golf & county Club in Guilford Saturday night at 6:00 PM.
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The African Children’s Choir will be performing at the Binghamton First Assembly Church Tonight at 7:00 PM, as part of a national tour, that has performed all over American & Canada since April. Tour Leader Keira Carnie explains:

(Keira Carnie 10-25-17)

The African Children’s choir performance tonight is free; the church is located at 225 Washington Street in Binghamton.
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The 19th Annual Norwich Pumpkin Festival gets underway today & Saturday in Norwich. The pumpkin weigh in contest is being held this afternoon until 7:00 tonight; there will be a variety of tournaments, entertainment by musicians, magicians, dance groups and more with Saturday’s event ending with fireworks.
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Broadway in Binghamton presents “A Gentleman’s Guide To Murder” for 2 performances this Sunday at 3:00PM & 7:30PM at the Broome County Forum in Binghamton. Tina Niles from NAC Entertainment explains:

(Tina Niles 10-27-17)

Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com or at 1-800-745-3000.
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The National Drug Take-Back Day will be tomorrow from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM. Residents can dispose of old and unused medicines, in their original containers at various locations, including the Sidney Police Department, Norwich City Police Department, Oneonta City Police, The Bainbridge Town Hall, and at the Otsego, Chenango & Broome County Sheriff’s Departments.
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The Sidney Town Board & Supervisor Gene Pigford announced that they would hold a ribbon cutting & public tours of the town’s new Municipal Building at 44 Grand Street, this Friday from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. The building formerly housed the offices of the Mirabito Fuel Group & Mang Insurance.
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The Chenango Arts Council and Friends of Rogers are teaming up for “Bat Appreciation!” during the 19th annual Pumpkin Fest in Norwich. Beginning at 6:00 tonight, the interactive presentation will take place in the Mariea Brown and Raymond Loft Galleries, where it will be on display through November 3rd. The interactive presentation is offered free of charge, donations are welcome to support future programs by the Chenango Arts Council.
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Delaware County Board of Elections reminds voters that absentee ballot applications can be picked up at their office in Delhi, or downloaded from their website. The Board of Elections will also be opened on this Saturday & Saturday November 4th from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon for absentee voting. Also, the board reminds Sidney Center voters that the polling site from District 1 & 3 Voters has been changed to the new Sidney center Fire Department Building on County Route 35. More information is available 832-5321.
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(Crouch 2-11-15)

The Senate Majority announced that they are prioritizing the idea of removing the Gap Elimination Adjustment in the coming fiscal year budget.
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The number of school districts overriding New York’s property tax cap declined by more than half over the past three fiscal years, dropping from 44 school districts in 2012-13 to only 19 in 2014-15, according to a report issued today by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. The report also found low- and average-need districts were twice as likely to override the tax cap compared to high-need districts. 14 districts exceeded the cap in two of the three years and one district exceeded the cap all three years. The full report is available at osc.state.ny.us.
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Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that the Community Overdose Prevention program, which provides funding to equip state and local law-enforcement officers with naloxone, has saved more than 100 lives in less than a year. The abuse of heroin and prescription Opiod Drugs is a growing problem, Nationwide, fatal overdoses from heroin doubled from 2010-2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Broome County Sheriff’s department was among the top life saving organizations with 5 saves by Naloxone since the program started.
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The United Way of Delaware & Otsego counties will wrap up its annual fundraising campaign at the end of February.  The campaign currently sits at 91% according to executive director Terry Capuano:

(Terry Capuano)

Those who would like to pledge can call 432-8006 or log on at unitedwaydo.org and make a contribution through Pay Pal.

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The Broome County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division has arrested 19-year-old Emmanuel Peterson of Brooklyn in connection with the robbery of the Manley’s Mighty Mart in the town of Dickinson on December 18^th.  Peterson is accused of entering the store displaying a handgun and ordering the clerk to turn over money from the register, he is charged with 1^st degree Robbery, and is currently in custody at the Broome County Sheriff’s Correctional facility on an unrelated robbery in Johnson City.   Peterson will be ordered to appear in the Town of Dickinson Court for arraignment.

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US Senator Charles Schumer said he successfully petitioned the USDA to increase the availability of Greek yogurt, made by several companies in New York, including Chobani, in school meal programs.  The USDA committed to initiate a pilot program that could start in April, to increase school access to Greek Yogurts.  Chobani President & CEO Hamdi Ulukaya was one of many who helped launch the effort late last year:

(Hamdi 1-31-13)

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New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has approved the Cuomo administration’s contract for new driver’s licenses that will have black-and-white photos produced by the highest bidder.  DiNapoli’s approval paves the way for CBN Secure Technologies of Virginia to produce the licenses with its winning bid of $38 million over the current contractor, De La Rue of England.

(Dan Ayres 1-24-13)

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The Broome County Sheriffs department arrested 21-year-old Juliana Porter of Conklin for DWI, unsafe lane change and driving with a Blood Alcohol content above .08, following an accident in Conklin Wednesday morning.  Porter was driving on Carlin Road on the wrong side, while Cherie Duke attempted to swerve to avoid Porter, who also swerved, and both cars collided head-on.  23-year-old Alexander Burrows of Saint Petersburg, Florida was a passenger in the Porter Vehicle, he suffered a head injury and was taken to Wilson Hospital in Johnson City, another passenger in Porter’s car was not injured.  Porter was released on appearance tickets for Town of Conklin Court.

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Firefighters responded to 55 Riley Road in Windsor this morning.  The fire was reported at around 9:00 AM crews from Windsor and West Windsor responded, 2 adults and a toddler escaped, however 3 family dogs died in the blaze.  A faulty basement Wood Stove may have caused the fire; cold temperatures hampered fire fighters.

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Officials in Oneonta were delighted with the turnout for Oneonta First Night festivities on Monday night.  Organizers said that the streets were filled with celebrants, with about 25 entertainments acts at 14 different downtown locations after main street parade at 4:00 PM Monday, and ending with fireworks at about 10:30.

State Police investigated a 1-vehicle accident on Chenango county route 32 Thursday morning.  Troopers reported that 31-year-old Casey Decker of Norwich was ejected from her Toyota SUV near Chenango County Road 32A and Chenango County Road 32 in the Town of Norwich at about 7:40 Thursday morning.  Decker was pronounced dead on the scene, investigators believe that that slippery road conditions and speed contributed to the crash.

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The state labor department has released unemployment figures for the month of November.  Statewide, the rate was 7.9%, 4 tenths better than October.  Locally Chenango county had a rate of 7.9%, a 1 tenth improvement over October, Delaware county’s rate went up 4 tenths to 8.9%, Otsego county’s rate decreased 1 tenth to 7.3%.

(Tom Cormier)

Cormier said that the theater will be used for as part of the Oneonta first night celebration new year’s eve, and an announcement will be made regarding the future operation of the theater at that time.

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There will be no moratorium on hydro-fracking in the village of Oxford, as the Village Board tabled the proposal during a special session this week.  The village board faced a potential lawsuit from the Central New York Landowner’s Coalition, which is a local group of landowners seeking to sign gas leases with energy companies when the state DEC lifts the moratorium on gas drilling.

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State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today announced new regulations requiring nonprofit groups registered with the state, to report the percentage of their expenditures that go to federal, state and local electioneering. Those groups that spend at least $10,000 to influence state and local elections will be required to file itemized schedules of expenses and contributions & those disclosures will be released to the public.  Copies of today’s proposed regulations are available online at: www.ag.ny.gov/charity-disclosure-regulations.
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State Troopers arrested 21-year-old Kami Luce of Kirkwood and 18-year-old Travis Mills of Port Crane for Unlawful Possession of Marihuana.  The arrest was the result of a traffic stop on Tow Path Road in Fenton, Luce and Mills were both issued Appearance Tickets returnable to the Town of Fenton Court to appear on January 3^rd.