Pre-Trial procedures are going to be held in Town of Franklin court this afternoon, regarding the animal cruelty & dog fighting case against Nasir Azmat of Franklin. Jill Stafford is a volunteer at the Delaware Valley Humane Society, who was one of the first people to help rescue the animals, known as the “Franklin 20”:

(Jill Stafford 10-22-20)

Azmat is facing over 40 counts relating to torturing & overdriving animals, failing to provide sustenance to the animals and for having dog fighting paraphernalia at his property in Franklin earlier this year, he was arraigned & released pending future court action.

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Chenango County Public Health announced that they have 44 Active Cases of COVID 19 currently, with 231 Active Quarantines & 3 hospitalizations.  Chenango County has had 337 Total Confirmed Cases, there have been 7 deaths, 251 recoveries and 34,250 tests have been performed.

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An Oxford Academy Middle School student tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.  Oxford officials said that based on the hybrid schedule, the student was only in school on October 13, 2020 for part of the school day.  The district has coordinated with the Chenango County Public Health to identify through contact tracing protocols any student or staff member who may be at high risk of exposure.  The Chenango County Public Health has been reaching out to those staff members and parents of students identified to inform them if they need to be placed under mandatory quarantine for precautionary purposes. Due to privacy requirements, The Oxford District cannot give specific information about any individual who has a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19.

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Hartwick College reported one new case of COVID-19 has been detected. There is one active case on campus; the total number of cases detected on campus since August 1, 2020 is 22.

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In Spite of the economic turmoil by the COVID-19 pandemic, the securities industry saw its pretax profits reach $27.6 billion in the first six months of 2020, an 82% increase over the same period last year, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.  1st half profits in 2020 were nearly equal to the entirety of 2019’s profits of $28.1 billion. The jump was propelled by $2.4 trillion in federal stimulus funds and the lowering of interest rates to near zero,  DiNapoli said that Wall Street’s share of state economic activity was 5.9% in 2019, the peak was in 2006 of 8.2%, and Wall Street provides 18% of state tax collections.

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The Friends of the Rogers Environmental Center of Sherburne announced the winner of this year’s raffle of an electric car.  The Winner of the Tesla is Virginia Huerfeld of Glenmont, New York.  All proceeds of the Electric Car Raffle benefits Friends of Rogers Environmental Education Center.

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Officials gathered in New Berlin to break ground at the site of the new fire house and Chobani Community Center, located on South Main Street in the village.  The fire station will have 6 garage bays, offices and rooms for training and storage and a space for community meetings.  The village received a $150,000 grant from the state, plus donations from Chobani for $650,000 & Preferred Mutual Insurance for $150,000.

A.M. NEWS THURSDAY 10-22-20

Otsego County Department of Health reports 5 new cases of COVID 19 Wednesday, and 10 cases reported over the past 5 days, 5 of those cases have been traced back to a recent wedding. Since October 1st The Health Department reports 12 cases related to 2 separate weddings. The County reports 942 total confirmed cases,  19 are active cases with 2 hospitalizations, 7 deaths,  746 probable and confirmed cases linked to SUNY Oneonta & 21 confirmed cases in Hartwick College students

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Delaware County Public Health reports no new cases Wednesday, there are still 10 active cases & 1 hospitalization, and 70 people are in quarantine.  Since March, Delaware County reports 145 total cases of COVID 19, 127 recoveries & 8 deaths.

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The State DOT is advising motorists of daily, alternating multi-lane closures on State Route 17 between Exit 71 and I-81 Exit 4 in Binghamton through Friday, October 31st.  Work will require closing up to two of three travel lanes in alternating directions, at no time will both directions experience lane closures simultaneously. Work is scheduled to take place between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM daily.  For up-to-date travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.

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The Dick’s Sporting Goods Open officials announced that the 2021 tournament will be held earlier than usual next year.  The tournament is usually played at En-Joie in Endicott in August, next year, Dick’s Open week will get underway June 28th, with the tournament itself teeing off Friday, July 2nd and concluding on the 4th of July.

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Lawmakers are expected to revamp the system that evaluates teacher performance this year, after last years formula showed that 98% were highly successful, yet only 35 to 40% of students were succeeding. State Senator John Bonacic comments:

(Bonacic 2-5-15)

Lawmakers are also getting ready to deal with budget hearings; the education portion of the state budget is one of the biggest items in the Annual spending plan.

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Fire departments from Harpursville, Five Mile Point, West Colesville and Windsor responded to a fire at 927 Trim Street in Windsor at around 7:30 this morning.   Fire investigators believe that the fire started in the rear of the home & was possibly caused by a defective wood stove.   One occupant escaped without injury, no injuries among firefighters were reported.

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Voters in the Gilbertsville-Mount Upton School District approved of 2 propositions Tuesday.   Voters approved the proposal to purchase buses by a 60-to-12 vote; they also approved a measure to establish a capital reserve fund for vehicle and equipment purchases 65-to-7.

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State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released a profile of the Empire State Development Corporation, that found there is minimal financial information for many of its 168 subsidiaries and limited public reporting on results of the economic development initiatives around the state. For fiscal year 2013, the ESDC reported that its programs helped create 2,424 jobs, or 1.8% of net private-sector job creation in the state that year, but the authority makes little public assessment of whether its programs work effectively together or create well-paying jobs. The report also stated that the ESDC outstanding debt totaled more than $10.7 billion for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2014, an increase of 20% from the previous year.

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Lady Antebellum will Headline this year’s concert at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open this August at the En-Joie Golf Course, with Sam Hunt as the opening act. The Golf Tournament will run from August 24th through the 30th this year, the concert will be held on Friday, August 28th.   Tickets go on sale Friday February 13 at 9:00 AM, more information is available at the bands official website.

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The Catskill Regional Teacher Center and the Oneonta Area for Public Education are hosting a legislative forum this afternoon at the Bugbee School auditorium on the SUNY Oneonta campus.   The annual event gives local educators a chance to express concerns to lawmakers regarding state & federal education policies.

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