Today is Primary Day, the race with a lot of local interest is the Delaware County Republican Party Primary for the nomination for District Attorney. Long time area Attorney Joe Ermeti faces current Acting County District Attorney Shawn Smith for the County Republican endorsement. Smith already has the Conservative party nomination & will be on the ballot for Delaware County District Attorney in the November General Election.

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The Broome County District Attorney’s office announced that 51 year old David Rexer of Endicott was found guilty of conspiracy by a jury in Broome county Court recently. Rexer was found guilty of conspiring with another person to commit arson on an Endicott building last year, however the person that Rexer attempted to conspire with was an undercover police officer. Rexer has a prior conviction for 3rd degree Rape and will be sentenced to 1/13 to 4 years in jail on September 23rd.

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Several Fire Companies responded Monday night to a fire at 242 Lippa Road in the town of Colesville. The fire was reported shortly after 10:00pm & the house was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. No injuries have been reported, the investigation is continuing.

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State Police arrested 48 year old Leslie George Jr. of Waddington, for Criminal Possession of Stolen Property plus 2 counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance. A trooper was dispatched to a report of a suspicious vehicle facing the wrong direction on East Hubbell Hill Road in the town of Middletown. The trooper found the pick-up truck unoccupied but discovered that the truck had been previously reported as stolen. George returned to the scene and told the trooper he had run out of fuel and was picked up by a passerby, he was arrested and found to be in possession of drugs, he was and arraigned & released & was ordered to re-appear in court at a later date.

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The Oxford Fire Department was dispatched to a structure Friday early Friday morning. 1 silo was destroyed, an adjacent was was saved by firefighters from several other area fire departments, no injuries to firefighters were reported, the property was vacant at the time of the blaze. The Chenango County Office of Emergency Services is investigating the cause of the fire.

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Delaware County will host an Innovative Readiness Training mission, or “IRT” which will be bringing medical professionals to the Walton High School July 11th through the 19th, providing free Medical, Dental & Veterinary services. Director of Delaware County Planning & Watershed Affairs, Shelly Johnson-Bennett told WCDO News that they will need some volunteers for a variety of functions at the event:

(Shelly Johnson-Bennett 6-27-23)

the link to volunteer is available at delawareopportunities.org, WCDO will air the full interview with Shelly Johnson-Bennett on Wednesday night July 5th following the 6:00 PM news.

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A.M. NEWS Tuesday 6-27-23

State Police arrested 53 year old Robert Covello of Endwell, after they executed a search warrant regarding an unlawful surveillance investigation. While at Covello’s residence, Investigators observed items indicative of narcotics sales and use, suspected cocaine, drug paraphernalia and a large amount of U.S. currency was seized. Covello has been charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance with intent to sell, Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia, Unlawful Surveillance & Disseminating Unlawful Surveillance Images. Covello was processed & was transported to the Broome County Central Arraignment and Processing.

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The State continues to closely monitor air quality for potential impacts from Canadian wildfires, as well as ozone and other pollutants. The current DEC forecast for Wednesday shows the potential for unhealthy air quality to impact most of the state with thick surface smoke overnight Wednesday. More information is available at airnow.gov

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Commerce Chenango announced that The Red Roof Inn is hosting the next Business After Hours Program today from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. The Red Roof Inn is at 75 North Broad Street in Norwich, they will show the renovations to Commerce Chenango’s members. The Red Roof Inn was established in 2019 at the former Howard Johnson site in Norwich.

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Family Planning of South Central New York is participating in National HIV Testing Day today by providing free Rapid HIV testing at their Binghamton, Oneonta, and Norwich medical centers. A rapid HIV test uses a finger prick to quickly detect the presence of HIV antibodies or antigens, which can deliver results within a shorter time frame, typically within 20 minutes or less. More information is available at fpscny.org.

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The Broome County Sheriff’s Office arrested 26 year old Patrick Proefriedt of Nineveh following a domestic dispute at 2208 State Route 41, where he shot his wife Eleanor Carey & their 3 week old baby daughter with a crossbow, killing the infant. Proefreidt left the scene put was apprehended about an hour later, Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar commented at a press conference this afternoon.

(Akshar 6-26-23)

Sheriff Akshar said that there was a history of domestic violence with Proefriedt & his wife, and there was an active Stay Away Order of Protection in place. he was scheduled to be arraigned tonight at 8:00 PM.

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Tomorrow is Primary Day, the Delaware County Republican Party has a race for District Attorney’s, Long time area Attorney Joe Ermeti told WCDO that he has 3 decades of experience with prosecuting experience, & he feels he should get the endorsement of Republicans tomorrow:

(Joe Ermeti 6-15-23)

Current Acting District Attorney Shawn Smith is running to get the Republican Party nomination in the Primary, he told WCDO that he has received key endorsement from regional Law Enforcement groups & he should be the party’s choice:

(Shawn Smith 6-15-27)

Smith already has the Conservative party nomination in the race for Delaware County District Attorney.

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Governor Hochul, & State Leaders today announced New York State’s “ConnectALL” Office has been allocated more than $664 million in funding from the federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program. The allocation will be used primarily for providing fiber optic infrastructure to locations in New York that currently have no broadband service.

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Oneonta Officials announced that a possible delay for opening the pool later this week. The pool was expected to be opened Wednesday, but equipment issues could delay that, more information is available by calling the Recreation Office at 607-432-0680.

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About 2 dozen people have been stricken statewide with a food parasite illness recently, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The outbreak is from a parasite called Cyclospora that has recently sickened people across 22 states, with 30 hospitalized. Cyclospora usually spreads through Produce that has been contaminated with feces, symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, bloating, nausea and fatigue. The CDC traced an outbreak in Georgia and Alabama to a tainted batch of broccoli, but the latest cases could be from different sources in the other states reporting cases of the sickness.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 6-26-23

The Town of Sidney Highway Department announced that Back River Road will be closed from Rte 357 to Exit 10 today through Wednesday, it will also be closed July 5th and July 6th for paving, area motorists are advised to use other local roads during the work periods.

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The Cullman Kids Series of Summer Event will be held again this summer, with 3 events scheduled in Sidney, according to co-organizer Larry Halbert:

(Larry Halbert 6-26-23)

Halbert said that the Dairy Day will be Sunday July 23rd at Keith Clark Park & Big Rigs day will be at the Cullman Center on August 5th.

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Padraig Harrington has won the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open with a score of -18. Harrington became the first back-to-back winner in tournament’s history.

The Sidney Chamber of Commerce Announced their annual award winners at their meeting this morning, Sean Larose is the General Manager of Waste Recovery Enterprises, which won “Business of the Years” award:

(Sean Larose 4-5-23)

Kyle Westcott, who formerly owned the Sidney Great American Food Store, was named as the winner of the Commitment to Community Award:

(Kyle Westcott 4-5-23)

Dr. Rohan Jayasena was also honored as the Citizen of the Years by the Sidney Chamber, all will be honored at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner in June.

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State Police And the Division of Criminal Justice Services released a Missing Vulnerable Adult Alert today. 34 year old Tatiana David from Ithaca was last seen this morning at about 7:20 AM and may have been abducted. David is described as a black woman about 5’9″ tall and about 180 pounds, with black hair & brown eyes, she was last seen with 35 year old Michael David, who was driving a white Jeep Cherokee, they may be headed through this area heading for New York City. Police said that Davis is a black man, 6’4″ tall about 200 pounds with black hair & brown eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call 911, or 607-561-7400.

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The Broome County Sheriff’s Office is currently looking for Tanya McGreal on an outstanding warrant, she was last known to frequent the Colesville Road area of the Town of Colesville. McGreal is a white female, 5’5″ about 135 pounds, with brown hair & brown eyes, she is wanted for 3rd degree burglary. Anyone with information on the location of McGreal is asked to contact the Broome County Sheriff’s Office at gobroomecounty.com/sheriff/warrants or at (607) 778-1196.

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The State Comptroller’s Office audited the state Department of Health, reporting that they need to make sure that they get the drug rebates that it is entitled to under federal regulations. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said that the largest portion of money left on the table was $109.4 million in rebates, following an error on 490,875 claims that incorrectly showed that no Medicaid payment had been made, making them ineligible for rebates, another mistake with Magellan resulted in missing out on $9.6 million in rebates.

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2 local Fire Departments will hold their annual “Recruit New York” event on April 29th this year, Roger Barnhart of the Bainbridge Fire Department explains:

(Roger Barnhart 4-5-23)

The Statewide Recruit New York Event will be held on April 22nd this year.

A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 4-5-23

Delaware County District Attorney Office announced that 46-year-old Justin Valk of Davenport, was indicted by a Delaware County Grand Jury for allegedly murdering his wife Stephanie Valk on or about July 29- August 1, 2022, in the Town of Davenport. In addition to the 2 Murder counts, Valk was charged with Reckless Endangerment & Assault. Valk will be arraigned on the Grand Jury Charges in Delaware County Court on April 10, he is being held at the Delaware County Correctional Facility.

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40 year old Derek Wignall of Hancock appeared in Delaware County Court Monday and pleaded guilty to Criminal Contempt, for allegedly violating an order of protection. After arraignment, Wignall pleaded guilty to the charge, he admitted that he disobeyed the order of protection by threatening violence against the protected party, he will be sentenced to serve 6 months in the Delaware County Correctional Facility, and then 5 years of felony probation supervision. Wignall was committed to the custody of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department following his guilty plea, Sentencing is scheduled for May 15th.

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The Sidney Chamber of Commerce will have their next meeting this morning at 8:00 AM. The meeting will be held at the Beez Kneez at 21 Union Street.

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The Broome County Sheriff’s Office announced this afternoon that a suspect was in custody in connection with a hit-and-run motor vehicle accident involving a pickup truck fatally striking a juvenile on a bicycle in the area of 1180 Route 7 in the Town of Colesville on Sunday at 5:30pm. Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar held a Press Conference this afternoon to announce the arrest:

(Sheriff Akshar 1-2-23)

Sheriff Akshar said that Bradley Law was charged with Criminally Negligent homicide & leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident, he is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:00 PM at Broome County Central Processing.

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State Police are asking for the public’s assistance in trying to locate a missing person. 78 year old Theodore Sikora of Davenport has not had any contact with his friends or family in over two weeks, he was last seen on December 23rd at a local gas station. Sikora does not have a cell phone. Troopers have checked with relatives, friends and local hospitals but have not been able to locate Sikora. Anyone with information is asked to contact New York State Police at (607) 561-7400.

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The Otsego County Sheriff’s Office arrested 27 year old Cory Meadow of Laurens following an investigation into multiple complaints of animal cruelty. Meadow was charged with torturing or Injuring Animals & Failure to Provide Sustenance, Meadow was processed & will appear in court to answer to the charges at a later date.

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New York lawmakers officially became the highest paid state legislators in the nation Sunday, after Governor Hochul signed it on Saturday. Lawmakers held a special session in December & voted to give themselves a $32,000 pay raise to $142,000 a year, California lawmakers are now the 2nd highest paid state lawmakers in country.

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Several Broome County Fire Departments responded to a structure fire at 10 Dartmouth Street in Johnson City Sunday. The fire was reported at about 5:40 pm, Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 2 hours, there were no injuries reported & the cause of the fire is under investigation.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 1-2-23

The New York Collegiate Athletic Participation Compensation Act went into effect Sunday, college athletes can receive compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness without the risk of having to give up their scholarships or eligibility. The law also allows college athletes to hire attorneys and sports agents licensed in New York State.

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Another new law that went into effect yesterday was the Paid Family Leave law. The law adds siblings to the definition of family member for paid family leave.

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Catholic Charities of Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie Counties is holding a fundraiser called “Keeping our community warm 1 brick at a time” for individuals who are struggling with rising heating costs.  Individuals, groups, or businesses can purchase a brick from Catholic Charities for $25; their name will be placed on the brick which is used to build the fireplace displayed in the agency’s Main Street window in Oneonta.  To purchase a brick, stop by the office at 176 Main Street Oneonta, donations may be mailed to that office, more information on Catholic Charities of Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie Counties is available at 432-0061, or charitiesccdos.org.

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Bassett Healthcare Network is hosting its annual Indoor Heart Walk & Health Fair at FoxCare Center in Oneonta in partnership with the American Heart Association on Saturday, February 15th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.  Foxcare spokesperson Gabby Argo explains:

(Gabby Argo 1-29-20)

Learn more by calling 607-431-5009.

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Norwood Financial Corporation, the holding company for Wayne Bank of Pennsylvania, and UpState New York Bancorp, announced the signing of a merger agreement where Norwood will acquire UpState in a stock and cash transaction. The combined company will have $1.7 billion in assets and 31 offices. Norwood will retain the brand names of Upstate’s two units, Bank of the Finger Lakes and Bank of Cooperstown.

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Local law Enforcement Agencies are again warning area residents of the “Grandparent Scam”, where a con artist calls or emails the victim posing as a relative in distress or someone claiming to represent the relative & requests for them to wire money for a fictitious expense.  Law Enforcement agencies suggests that Before sending funds, independently contact the relative the scam artist is claiming to be, at a known phone number, to verify the details of the story.  Also Scam artist’s payment method of choice is the wire transfer; any urgent request to wire money should be treated suspiciously. Consumers who have been victims of this scam should immediately report it to local law enforcement; more information is available at Fraud Center at Fraud.org.

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Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 19 year old Trent Wade of Rochester for Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Operation of a Motor Vehicle with Improper plates, Speed not Reasonable and Prudent, and Operating a Motor Vehicle without Insurance. Wade was charged following a Motor Vehicle Accident on County Highway 14 in the Town of Meredith. Wade is scheduled to appear before the Town of Meredith Court at a later date.  

The State DOT announced completion of a $1.1 million project that replaced a culvert under Dilly Road in the Town of Colesville. The new culvert ensures more efficient water flow underneath the road, reducing erosion and enhancing safety for motorists traveling to and from nearby State Route 7. The Town of Colesville assisted in the project and will maintain the new pre-cast concrete box culvert.  The bulk of construction took place last summer to comply with stream work restrictions and minimize disruptions to school bus routes.

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NY State of Health announced that consumers will have an additional week to enroll in a Qualified Health Plan for 2020, as the Open Enrollment deadline has been extended until February 7th.  Consumers can enroll in a health plan Online at nystateofhealth.ny.gov, or with the help of an in-person assistor at 1-855-355-5777

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The American Red Cross is holding 2 more blood drives locally today, 1 in New Berlin from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM at 12 School Street, another will be held from 11:30 AM to  4:30 PM at Binghamton University in the Old Union, at 511 West Drive.  Donors of all blood types are urged to make an appointment to give blood or platelets now using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.

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A Meeting for Those Who Would like to Volunteer for the Chenango Arts Council will be held in Norwich today, Council CEO Alecia O’Neill explains:

(Alecia O’Neill 1-29-20)

The meeting begins at 5:30 pm in the conference room at 27 West Main Street, Norwich, prior experience is not necessary.  For more information, please call 607-336-ARTS or visit www.chenangoarts.org.

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