(Gene Schmidt 12-17-13)
The free Christmas Dinner will be held at the River Street Fire Station, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM on Christmas day., those who would like to volunteer can call 369-2387.
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Operation Merry Christmas will have one more pick up event this weekend, for those who couldn’t make it last weekend due to the weather. Pickups will be this Saturday at the Sidney Civic Center between 1:00 & 2:00 PM.
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Governor Cuomo today released a report on the State’s tourism initiatives showing that the number of visitors to New York increased by 8.8 million this year. The tourism industry is projected to generate $7.7 billion in state and local taxes with direct spending expected to reach $61.3 billion. The industry is also projected to add 24,800 jobs by the end of the year. Details of the report are available at governor.ny.gov.
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The state Board of Regents recommended a 6 percent increase in state education funding next fiscal year, saying the $1.3 billion increase is needed for struggling districts and pre-kindergarten programs. Schools have received a 4 percent annual increase in state aid since 2012 and the proposal calls for aid to increase from nearly $21 billion to $22.3 billion for the 2014-15 fiscal year, which starts April 1. Gov Cuomo will release his budget proposal on Jan. 21
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The NY State of Health, the State’s official health plan marketplace, said 363,258 New Yorkers had completed their applications and 134,622 people have enrolled for coverage starting on January 1st. The enrollments represent an increase of about 34 percent over the total from December 9th. more information is available at nystateofhealth.ny.gov.
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Donald Trump said that he would decide soon on whether or not to run for Governor of New York next year, against an expected bid to re-election by Andrew Cuomo. Trump said that he hadn’t considered a run for governor, but several top state Republicans have courted him to consider it. A recent Marist College poll shows Cuomo leading Trump by a stunning 70-24 margin.
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State Police in Oneonta investigated a fatal ATV accident that occurred at 114 Stonybrook Road in the Town of Otego Sunday. 42-year-old Timothy Lewis and 49 year old Debra Chickerell, of Otego, were traveling on a dirt driveway, when they lost control of the ATV and overturned causing both the operator and passenger to be ejected off the ATV, into a parked vehicle in the driveway. Lewis was transported to Fox Hospital and was pronounced dead, Chickerell was transported to Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown and treated for a broken left arm, broken ribs and brain hemorrhage. The investigation is continuing.
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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 57-year-old Steve Eiler of Franklin on 1 count of Aggravated Unlicensed Operation for allegedly operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license. Eiler is accused of failing to pay a fine from Town of Oneonta Court.
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Governor Cuomo signed a bill that strengthens Leandra’s Law and provides new safeguards to keep drunken drivers off New York’s roads. The update makes it a felony to drive drunk on a conditional license. The bill also limits the circumstances in which a court can waive the installation of an interlock device to only when a person under oath attests that he or she is not the owner of a motor vehicle and will not operate any vehicle during the period of the interlock restriction. The legislation also expands the requirements for the use of ignition interlock devices by making youthful offenders subject to the same ignition interlock requirements that are now applicable to adults.
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Governor Cuomo signed legislation that would require public and private colleges in New York State to provide written information on fire safety and sprinkler systems to students residing in college-owned or operated housing. The notification would include a description of the fire safety system for the student’s housing facility, including whether or not the housing facility is equipped with a fire sprinkler system. The legislation followed a fire in 2012 at Marist College where 3 people died in a fire in an off-campus housing unit.
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Delaware county DPW announced that county route 23 in the town of Sidney would be closed Tuesday in order to replace a culvert. The closure will be between quarry road and Marble Alley between 7:30 and 4:00 PM. The detour ill be river road to crane hill road.
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A coalition of environmental organizations has sued the state Department of Environmental Conservation against the state’s effort to roll back dairy farm regulations in order to support the needs of Greek yogurt manufacturers across the state. The Sierra Club, Riverkeeper and Citizens Campaign for the Environment claim the state violated the federal Clean Water Act with plans to increase the number of cows that farms can maintain without having to comply with waste-management regulations. Governor Cuomo announced the plan to change those rules last year, at the “Yogurt Summit” in Albany, New York is the leading maker of Greek yogurt among all 50 states.
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New York is banning trade in shark fins starting next summer in an effort to protect the marine predators. The fins are used in Popular Chinese Soup, An estimated 73 million sharks are killed worldwide to meet the market demand, Governor Cuomo said that the Sharks are caught, their fins are cut off and the sharks are returned to the ocean to die, a procedure that he called inhumane & upsetting to the oceanic eco-system.
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