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School Budget Votes will be held state wide tomorrow.  Locally, Sidney & Schenevus school district budget decreased their spending from last year, most have had slight to mild increases, local districts are close to 2% Property Tax Cap.  Capital Projects will be voted on by voters in Sidney, Unatego & Afton tomorrow.

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The Afton Central School District is asking for approval tomorrow on a capital project, Superintendent Tim McNamara comments:

(Tim McNamara 5-20-19)

McNamara said that state aid & the capital reserve fund will cover the cost of the project, meaning that there will be no additional burden on tax payers.

30 year old Christopher Bonno has been charged with 4th degree arson, 3rd degree Burglary & resisting arrest following the report of a barn fire at 3973 State Highway 23 in the town of Plymouth at about 8:00 PM Saturday night.  Smoldering hay was extinguished, no injuries were reported.

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The State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is hiring more than 1,000 new and returning lifeguards for the summer season at its swimming beaches and pools.  New York State Park lifeguards must meet certain eligibility criteria, which includes successfully completing the qualifying procedure, before being hired. For a complete schedule of qualifying dates, more information about hiring requirements, and an application, go to parks.ny.gov/employment/lifeguards. 

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Starting this Week, the Suit-Kote Corporation & Chenango County DPW will be working on County Road 32 between State Route 320 in the Town of Norwich and State Route 12 in the Town of North Norwich. It is anticipated this procedure shall take about 1 week to complete, depending on weather conditions.  The traveling public is asked to find alternate routes; more information is available at 337-1710.

Woodstock 50 appears to be on again, as organizers announced that the Oppenheimer & Co. investment corporation has signed on as a financial advisor to complete the financing for the concert.  The statement adds that preparations will continue as planned. Woodstock 50 is scheduled to take place August 16th to the 1th 8 in Watkins Glen, ticket sales will be announced shortly.

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Governor Cuomo announced that $21.3 million has been awarded to 6 affordable housing developments in the Southern Tier that will create or preserve 249 affordable homes. The funds were made available through New York State Homes & Community Renewal’s 2018 Unified Funding Application; Awards include $4.3 million for Endicott Square, in the Village of Endicott, creating 61 apartments in a mixed income development that repurposes a former school.

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The Raymond Corporation hosted more than 150 high school students at its headquarters in Greene, on Friday, for the company’s inaugural Engineering Day.  Students from 9 schools across the Southern Tier learned about career opportunities within engineering and associated disciplines, through 12 interactive exhibits, including 3D printing, & the award-winning Raymond Virtual Reality Simulator.

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The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, the Walton Chamber of Commerce and the Delaware County Industrial Development Agency will present a 1 hour session on Walton’s designation as an “Opportunity Zone” by New York State.  The designation allows for incentivized business development in Walton, on Thursday, June 6 at Molto Espresso, 151 Delaware Street, Walton from 11 a.m. to 12:00 noon

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Sidney Village Police arrested 52 year old Alvin Mills of Sidney for sexual abuse & Endangering the Welfare of a Minor, following a recent investigation by Sidney Police & State Police.   Mills was remanded to the Delaware County jail on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond pending future court action.

(Stu Green 9-16-15)

Magic City Music Hall was forced to leave their former site on Harry L Drive in Johnson City in 2008 due to roofing concerns. WCDO will be giving away tickets for the first magic City Show with REO Speedwagon later this week. Tickets will be available for all shows starting this weekend.
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State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli announced today his office approved 1,821 contracts valued at $1.9 billion and approved 1.7 million payments worth $8.5 billion in August. His office also rejected 191 contracts and transactions valued at $713 million and nearly 1,600 payments valued at $61.6 million due to fraud, waste or other improprieties. Major Contracts Approved specifically in August were for the State Department of Agriculture and Markets for State Fair expenses, including $2 million paid out for 15 contracts to provide entertainers & $1.4 million for 3 contracts for ambulances, mobile restrooms and bedding/manure removal for livestock.
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Governor Cuomo announced today that recent investigations to protect exploited workers in New York State have led to nearly $3.3 million in back wages, damages and settlements for 800 workers. In the upstate counties, State Agriculture Labor Specialists assisted in recovering more than $9,000 in back wages for 23 farm workers who were underpaid. State investigators conducted more than 380 field visits and met with 300 agricultural businesses to offer hiring assistance and educate employers about labor law compliance and available resources. The agency has increased the number of field visits, reduced the number of violations and is protecting workers by helping more businesses comply with the law.
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The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation today announced that $500,000 in grants are now available to help organizations to improve State parks, trails and historic sites. The grants are available for the program will be administered by State Parks and Parks & Trails New York. The program is designed to enhance the preservation, stewardship, interpretation, maintenance and promotion of State parks, trails and state historic sites; as well as promote the tourism and economic development benefits of outdoor recreation through the growth and expansion of a connected statewide network of parks, trails and greenways.

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State Police arrested 25 year old Ian Kosciusko of Worcester for sexual abuse. The arrest occurred after troopers were advised of an incident that occurred on September 11, at the Holiday Inn on State Route 23, in the Town of Oneonta. An investigation determined that an employee had unwanted sexual contact with an adult victim, Kosciusko was arraigned and was remanded to the Otsego County Jail in lieu of $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 property bond, An order of protection was issued by the court.
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Empire State College will hold public information session about its associate and bachelor’s degree programs at its Binghamton location, State Office Building, Room 505, 44 Hawley Street, Binghamton today at 4:30 PM. More information is available at 721-8651.

(Bijoy Datta 10-14-13)

Donald Trump is being considered by a group of New York State Republicans, for a run as governor against incumbent democrat Andrew Cuomo.   Trump is considered by state GOP Chairman Ed Cox and other party leaders as enough of a celebrity that he could possibly beat Cuomo in 2014, and maybe seek the presidency in 2016.   Trump said on Fox News Sunday that he hasn’t thought about running for governor.
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The State Police have issued their fall “Antler Alert.”  Trropers are warning drivers to be on alert as October through November & May through June are the most common times for car-deer collisions.  Troopers offer some tips to avoid hitting deer, such as:  Be especially alert during peak activity times at dawn and dusk and scan highway shoulders for deer eyes reflecting light.  More information is available at troopers.ny.gov

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Motorists are advised that Work on several Binghamton City streets will be performed between 6:00 AM  and 6:00 PM daily through this Friday, as part of the Prospect Mountain project along route 17 and I-81.   Crews will be removing the existing substructures of the Interstate 81 Southbound State Route 17 eastbound Bridge over Chenango Street.  Front Street will also have periodic, alternating lane closures,  Flag personnel will guide single lane traffic through the work zone.

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Advocacy groups are pushing for changes in policy to reverse what they say is a rising tide of hunger among the working poor, children and the elderly. The Hunger Action Network is pushing for expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.  The AARP says as many as 500,000 older New Yorkers could qualify for the monthly benefit. The AARP is asking the state to streamline its procedures to make it easier for older New Yorkers to apply. The Hunger Action Network wants the state to act on plans to send more fresh food to schools from New York farmers.

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