36 year old Justin Baker of Sidney appeared in Delaware County Court Monday and pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, Baker admitted that he had possessed methamphetamine with the intent to sell in the Village of Sidney. Judge Hubbard ordered the Delaware County Probation Department to conduct a pre-sentencing report, it is expected that Baker will be sentenced to 2 1/2 years in state prison to be followed by one year of post release supervision, he will likely be enrolled in the Lakeview Rehabilitation Program as part of his state prison sentence.

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Otsego County Sheriff’s Office arrested 53 year old Donald Lane of Portlandville for being in violation of the State Sex Offender Registry. Lane was charged with Sex Offender Failure to Update Change of Address, following an investigation that revealed that Lane relocated away from his residence in excess of the 10 day grace period required for sex offenders to update an address change. Lane was located by the Canajoharie Police Department and was turned over to the Otsego County Correctional Facility on an unrelated matter. On March 11th 2024, the defendant was formally charged with the above charges and issued an Appearance Ticket returnable to the Town of Middlefield Court at a later date.

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Our Krazy 8 Redemption LLC of South New Berlin will be helping with the “March Madness” fundraiser for the Delaware Valley Humane Society this Saturday in Sidney, Humane Society Director Erin Insinga comments:

(Erin Insinga 3-13-24)

Christina Dewey of Our Krazy 8 Redemption told WCDO News that they are happy to help out this & other shelters in the region:

(Christina Dewey 3-13-24)

The fundraiser will run through the end of March, more information is available on the Delaware Valley Humane Society or Krazy 8 Redemption center Facebook pages.

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Chenango County Health Department reported that a raccoon located in the Town of Preston tested positive for Rabies by the State’s Wadsworth Laboratory. Residents are reminded to not pick up or handle any stray or wild animal & to contact the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office or the Chenango County Health Department to report animals which are behaving strangely or aggressively. Report any animal bites and/or scratches to your health care provider or the Chenango County Health Department. More information about rabies is available by calling the Chenango County Health Department at (607) 337-1673

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Office arrested 28 year old Kenneth Dillman of Stamford for Aggravated Unlicensed Operator of a Motor Vehicle and Operation of a Motor Vehicle with an Ignition Interlock device following a traffic stop in the Town of Harpersfield. Deputies observed Dillmann operating a motor vehicle, they knew that Dillmann had 22 suspensions on his revoked license, A traffic stop was conducted, Dillmann was charged & was issued traffic tickets and Appearance Tickets for Town of Harpersfield Court at a later date.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 3-13-24

State Comptroller’s Office announced that 2 Otsego County area businessmen have been indicted for a $1 million Medicaid transportation fraud scheme. 46-year-old Philip Mtui and 47-year-old Mbaga Kaiza were partners in Phinaliz Communications, they allegedly sought and received payments for rides that did not actually happen and billed multiple times for rides that did occur. This resulted in $1 million being stolen from Medicaid, they were charged with 1st Degree Grand Larceny & they face court action on May 6.

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The Bainbridge Initiative has invited members of the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office to Bainbridge, for a Question & Answer Sessions regarding topics such as substance abuse, Homelessness & Mental Health, spokesperson Carole Kanzer explains:

(Carole Kanzer 3-13-24)

The Session will begin at 5:30 PM, at the Bainbridge Town Hall, more information is available at the Bainbridge Intitative Facebook Page or at 967-5449.

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The Annual Organizational meeting of the Delaware County Cornell Cooperative Extension, will be held tonight at the Walton Central School at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be open to the public & is expected to focus on the future of 4H programs following multiple recent staff vacancies.

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The next American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held today in Cooperstown, from 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., at St. Mary’s at 31 Elm Street, appointments can be made at RedCrossBlood.org, the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or call 1-800-RED CROSS.

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ACCO Brands announced to their employees last week that they will be closing their Sidney manufacturing and distribution plant late next year. Kori Reed the Director of Communication at ACCO Brands in Ohio told WCDO News that there is no firm timeline for the closure, the process will take most of next year to fully execute.

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State Police will continue to participate in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” initiative through New Year’s day. Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints, Troopers will be watching for distracted drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up, and drivers violating the “Move Over Law,” . State Police will also conduct underage drinker enforcement details statewide.

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The Otsego County Sheriff’s Office announces the arrest 52 year old Donald Lane of Portlandville following an investigation in to a sex offender who failed to register a change of address with the New York State Sex Offender registry. Lane is accused of relocating from a residence in the Town of Oneonta to a new location in the Town of Milford without notifiying authorities, Lane was located in the City of Oneonta Tuesday & was taken in to custody, he was processed & was being held in the Otsego County Correctional Facility to await an appearance in Otsego County Centralized Arraignment.

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies were on patrol in the Village of Walton Sunday and stopped a vehicle for multiple vehicle and traffic law violations. Deputies seized a quantity of narcotics and methamphetamine from the occupants and vehicle, Deputies arrested 40 year old Patrick Ladd of Walton for 5 counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, & 43 year old Leslie McClenon of Walton was charged with several traffic violations & criminal possession of a controlled substance for possessing Methamphetamine with intent to sell, a 3rd occupant of the vehicle was released at the scene without charges at this time. McClenon was subsequently released on appearance tickets and directed to appear at the Village of Walton court at a later date. Ladd was held at the Delaware County Correctional Facility for centralized arraignment.

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Fresh Express has issued a voluntary recall of a Fresh Express Spinach, 8 oz. size, with product code G332 and use-by date of December 15 and Publix Spinach, 9 oz size, with product code G332 and a now expired use-by date of December 14 due to a potential health risk from Listeria. Fresh Express is sold in a large number of grocery stores across the region, so far no illnesses have been reported and no other Fresh Express products are being recalled. Consumers who still have these products in their refrigerators are advised to discard them immediately.

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The City of Norwich Police Department announced that their phone lines and internet are down at the Police station today Wednesday, and possibly tomorrow. They hope to have the services restored as soon as possible.

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The storm which hit the region Sunday & Monday has claimed the lives of 4 New Yorkers so far. State Police said that an elderly woman in Catskill had her vehicle submerged in flood waters Monday, & she could not be reached by first responders due to the raging flood waters.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 12-20-23

Local sales tax collections in New York state increased by 5.1% in November compared to the same month in 2022, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Overall, local collections totaled $1.81 billion, up $88.6 million compared to the same time last year. County and city collections outside of New York City totaled $887 million, an increase of 4.4%, 55 out of 57 counties experienced year-over-year increases.

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Congressman Marc Molinaro’s constituent service team will hold mobile office hours from 12:00 noon to 2:00pm today at the Oneonta Town Hall. This comes after a home exploded in Oneonta December 9th, killing 1 person, injuring others, and damaging neighboring homes. Constituents will be able to connect with representatives from Congressman Molinaro’s office to get assistance with issues they are facing.

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Governor Kathy Hochul announced $25 million in capital grants will be made available to help volunteer fire departments upgrade their facilities and equipment. The grants will be administered by the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, fire companies have until April 30 2024 to respond to the request for applications at dhses.ny.gov.

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State Troopers in Oneonta arrested 40 year old Charles Gould of Oneonta, for Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol. The arrest resulted from a traffic stop in a DWI Checkpoint on State Route 23 in Oneonta, Gould was issued Uniform Traffic Tickets returnable to the Town of Oneonta Court on December 11th.

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Oneonta police arrested 42-year-old Donald Lane of Schenevus Sunday, of charges of torturing or inuring an animal, resisting arrest, open container and littering for tossing the can. Lane is accused of riding a horse into Oneonta, late Sunday night in an intoxicated manner, and striking the animal with a stick repeatedly. The horse was turned over to an area veterinarian for leg & feet injuries, Lane was in the Oneonta city jail Sunday night and was released Monday, he will appear in city court to answer to the charges at a later date.

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Newbauer construction of Bainbridge is accepting flood relief donations through December 1st, at their location next to Dunkin Donuts. A variety of items are being accepted for delivery to areas hard hit by hurricane sandy in October.
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Hartwick College will receive a $75,000 grant from The Hearst Foundations to support students with a high degree of financial need. The funding will to help defray their tuition costs of qualifying juniors, as they get closer to graduation. Hartwick is among 49 colleges to receive funding from The Hearst Foundations in 2012.

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COMMERCE CHENANGO announced that on DECEMBER 4TH, the NBT BANK ANNUAL HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR will be held at 49 South Broad Street, Norwich. The event runs from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, holiday shoppers can purchase items to support the Chenango County Council of the Arts, Colorscape Chenango, Made in Chenango, The Place and The SPCA, also members are encouraged to bring boxed or canned goods to benefit Roots and Wings.