Erie County Officials announced this morning that the death toll form the Christmas weekend snowstorm in the Buffalo region, has killed 36 people so far. 400 National Guard members have been sent to Buffalo to assist in the rescue & clean up, after 4 feet of snow fell, several miles of the New York State Thruway were closed in Western New York.

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More than 1,900 New Yorkers are set to receive benefits as part of the final round of payments from the state’s historic Excluded Workers Fund. Nearly $30 million will be sent before the end of the year. In total, more than 130,000 EWF applications have been approved and, minus administrative costs, the entirety of the $2.1 billion fund will soon be distributed to eligible New Yorkers. More information is available at dol.ny.gov.

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Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation that will protect consumers from scammers by requiring businesses give notice of potential scams when selling gift cards. The new Legislation amends the general business law to require that retailers selling gift cards also post a notice cautioning customers of gift card scams and providing information on what to do if they believe they may be a victim of such a scam.

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Attorney General Letitia James cautioned consumers and businesses of price gouging of children’s painkillers and fever reducers as demand increases for those medications due to this year’s “tripledemic” of COVID-19, RSV, and the flu. The Attorney General is aware of reports of children’s medication being sold online and in stores at prices two or three times their retail value. New Yorkers should report potential concerns about price gouging to the Attorney General’s Office by filing a complaint online or calling 1-800-771-7755.

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A new law requires telemarketers to give customers the option to be added to their do-not-call list immediately after the telemarketer says their name and company. The new law passed in the Legislature this year and was signed by Governor Hochul, it goes into effect on March 6th of 2023.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 12-26-22

Oneonta Fire Department responded Sunday afternoon at about 12:30 PM, to a full involved Trailer fire at 24 Oneida Street. Oneonta was assisted by fire fighters from West Oneonta, Worcester, Franklin, Otego, Laurens & Milford Fire Departments, more details are expected to be released shortly.

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(Townsend 3-2-18)

The National Weather Service has a Blizzard Warning in effect through 1:00 AM Saturday.
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Governor Cuomo today announced that the State Emergency Operations Center was activated, all New Yorkers can obtain emergency information through NY-ALERT, the State’s free, all-hazards, web-based alert and notification system. Residents can subscribe online at nyalert.gov, or by calling toll-free 1-888-697-6972.
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The Storm is knocking out power all over the state this Afternoon. NYSEG reported that over 5700 customers were without power in Delaware County, over 520 were without power in the City of Oneonta, over 340 lost power in the Windsor area, crews are working as quickly as possible to restore power during the storm.
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State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the guilty plea and admission of former State Senator George Maziarz, who pleaded guilty to Offering of a False Instrument for Filing, related to a pass-through scheme in which he used money from his campaign committee to funnel secret campaign payments to a former Senate staffer, Glen Aronow, who had left government service following charges of sexual harassment. The plea was entered today in Albany County Court.
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Governor Cuomo announced $30.8 million in New New York Broadband Program Round 3 grants have been awarded in the Southern Tier. The awards will drive more than $46.4 million of public-private broadband investment and provide 17,796 homes and other locations in the region with access to high-speed Internet. In total, 13 awarded projects will address unserved territories in the Southern Tier. Nearly 1,500 miles of broadband infrastructure will be deployed.
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Former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra ended his Republican bid for Governor of New York on Thursday. Giambra may continue his efforts on the Reform Party line. Giambra’s decision leaves Syracuse area State Senator John DeFrancisco as the sole prominent Republican left in the race to challenge incumbent Andrew Cuomo.
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State Police arrested 42 year old Nicole Proper of Middletown, for 2nd degree Assault, Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Proper was arrested after an argument with a victim, where Proper allegedly slashed the victim on the chest with a kitchen knife during the argument. The victim suffered superficial wounds, a child in the home called 911. Proper was remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility pending action in Middletown Court on March 6th.
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The Chenango Arts Council presents Frank Ferrante’s’ “An Evening with Groucho” at the Kappel theater Saturday Night in Norwich at 7:00 PM. Chenango Arts Council Executive Director Alecia O’Neill explains:

(Alecia O’Neill 3-2-18)

Tickets to the performance can be purchased online at www.ChenangoArts.org, in person at the box office during regular business hours—or over the phone by calling the box office at 336-ARTS.
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The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast for today has been Rescheduled to March 9th Due to the snow storm forecast for Today. The Chamber announced that they have re-scheduled The First Friday breakfast for March 9th from 8:30 to 10:00 am at Danny’s Restaurant in Walton.
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